Fox of Amber
by Ryu Kotei
Summary: After losing his arms and being banished, Naruto makes a deal with the Kyuubi to regain his arms which leads to an amazing discovery about his Uzumaki blood's history. Now bearing two amber gems on his arms, Naruto becomes the newest member of the Crystal Gems. T for violence, language, and certain situations. NarutoXPearl
1. Chapter 1

**This is Ryu Kotei saying that we only have a short few days to stop SOPA! I'm starting this new story in hopes of not just finding ideas for my other fics, but to spread the word about the evils of SOPA! I know that I have other works to, but they will never come to fruition if SOPA is passed! We have to stop SOPA! Freedom for the writers! Freedom for those with YouTube accounts! Freedom. For. EVERYONE!**

**On a final note, I do not own Naruto or Steven Universe.**

"Believe in Steven!" normal speech

_"Believe in Steven!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Believe in Steven!"** demon speech

Chapter 1: Shining New Start

***Mindscape***

Naruto awoke to find himself in the sewers that made up his mind and saw himself lying right in front of the fox's cage. "What…" said Naruto as he tried to pick up his body, only for the stubs on his arms to give out, "What happened?" A shadow inside the cage stirred to reveal the two giant red eyes of the Kyuubi, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. **"You should remember what had happened kit,"** said the Kyuubi in agitation, as Naruto finally moved himself to a sitting position and thought back to what all had happen…

_Flashblack_

**_*Konohagakure*_**

_ Naruto and Kakashi saw the gates with the jonin carrying the unconscious Sasuke. "I am still impressed, Naruto," said the cycloptic ninja with an eye smile, "I never would have thought that someone like you to defeat Sasuke as well as the both of you surviving such a massive collision." Naruto gave his sensei a wide smile and said, "Hey, I made a promise to Sakura-chan to bring back Sasuke and I would rather die than go back on my word! That is NOT what Naruto Uzumaki would do!"_

_ "NARUTO!" shouted Sakura as she rushed towards the duo. "See Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said without noticing the look of pure murder on Sakura's face. "Things are looking up from he-" Sakura gave the blonde a punch hard enough to break his jaw and send him flying into a nearby tree. Naruto fell from the tree and was about to ask Sakura what had happened before he got a kick to the face from the girl. "What the HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO SASUKE-KUN!?" screeched Sakura as she began to stomp on Naruto's body, "YOU PROMISED ME THAT YOU WOULD BRING SASUKE-KUN BACK AND YOU ONLY BRING HIM BACK BEATEN AND BROKEN! NOW I'M GOING TO DO THE SAME TO YOU FOR BREAKING THAT PROMISE!" Sakura then grabbed a nearby rock and gripped it hard enough to give the stone a small crack before a look of vengeful bloodlust in her eyes. "I'll make sure you can never hurt Sasuke-kun ever again," said Sakura as she raised the stone up high, "you no good piece of trash MONSTER!" Kakashi could stare in horror at Sakura smashing Naruto's arms as the blonde's screams paralyzed his body._

_ The jonin finally snapped himself free from his fear as the two chunin at the gate approach and gave Sasuke to the two before going towards Sakura. "Sakura stop!" ordered Kakashi as he tried to wrestle Sakura back, "Stop it now!" The jonin saw that he had no choice as to knock Sakura out with a quick chop to the neck. Naruto looked up to see that his arms were completely smashed some inches below the elbow as jagged pieces of bone were sticking out and blood oozing from the bruises that have been torn open. "Sakura-chan…" Naruto said weakly as darkness began to envelop his vision, "…why…" The blonde never saw the others arriving as darkness finally enveloped him._

_Flashback End_

***Mindscape***

_Sakura…why?_ Naruto thought to himself as he looked at the stubs of what remained of his arms. **"I'm truly sorry about your arms kit,"** said the Kyuubi with a stoic tone, **"but even if I had the chance, your arms would have never been able to heal properly and would have taken months to fully heal; even MY power is limited."** Naruto didn't even hear the fox as he remembered what Tsunade had told him at the hospital…

_Flashback_

**_*Konohagakure*_**

_ Naruto slowly awoke to find himself at the hospital with Tsunade sitting next to his bed with a saddened look on her face. "Baa-chan?" asked Naruto as he pushed himself up with his elbows before he felt something different about his arms. "Naruto!" said Tsunade with shock on her tear stained face before her voice had softened, "Naruto…before you ask, Sasuke is doing alright as he is recovering in a different room with Jiraiya looking at that Curse Mark on his neck. I…I have some bad news though…" Naruto removed both arms from his side to see a horrific sight: bandages covering his arms where the rest should have been. "My…my hands!" said the blonde with pure horror in his eyes as he stared at the bandaged stubs, "Where the hell are my hands?!" Tsunade quickly hugged Naruto as she said, "There was nothing we could have done to save them, Naruto; even _he_ must have seen how impossible it would have been. I'm sorry…I'm sorry."_

_Flashback End_

***Mindscape***

Naruto could remember the look of horror on everyone's faces as they saw his bandaged stumps; there was a mixture of horror, sadness, and worst of all…pity. "I still can't believe Sakura had the gall to do that to me," Naruto said as he hung his head at knowing his career as a ninja would be finished for the rest of his life. Naruto then remembered how the Council had exiled him and had a chunin escort him to a waiting ship at the docks that would transport him to the island far from Hi no Kuni…but even that didn't go as planned…

_Flashback_

_ Naruto and his chunin escort had made it to where the ship that was to take him to his new home since he can never return to his home. "Well," said the chunin escort, "end of the line." Naruto nodded and climbed the stairs, but before he boarded the ship, the young blonde turned and faced the man. "I know that you're one of the ninja back at the village that hated my guts," asked Naruto, "but is it possible for me to ask for your name?" The man nodded and said, "My name is Odori, Naruto-san and to be honest, I never did hate you. In fact, I have respected you for holding the Kyuubi at bay and the Uchiha was always a power hungry brat; the Council has made their greatest error with this. I'll never forget you and I shall always honor you, Uzumaki-sama." Naruto smiled and got on the ship, waving good-bye to the last person from Konohagakure he will ever see before hours later a large group of storm clouds rolled towards the ship._

_Flashback End_

Naruto rubbed a stump on the side of his face as the last thing he remembered was a beautiful pale face with orange hair. "Whoever that person is," Naruto said as he smiled at the memory, "they have my eternal gratitude…too bad I can't do anything with my hands." The Kyuubi smirked and said, **"Ever since I've been trapped inside of your body, I've been bored as Hell and one time I decided to look through your blood and I've made a shocking discovery: there is more to the Uzumaki bloodline than anyone realized."** The blonde looked at the giant fox like the beast had grown another head in the blink of an eye. "Please tell me!" said Naruto with desperate excitement, "Please tell me that I have some cool Kekkei Genkai that is WAY better than Sasuke-teme's!"

**"SHUT IT!"** roared the Kyuubi before calming down, **"What I have discovered is the secret behind the Uzumaki Clan's longevity."** Naruto tilted his head in confusion as the giant fox then said, **"Yes, Kit, you had a clan that can actually outlive three generations, four if they were not a ninja and lived a very healthy lifestyle and five or six for you. Anyway, it seems like there is another part of the Uzumaki blood…something mystical infused inside the blood and it is through this that grants Uzumaki's their increased life span. Unfortunately there are impurities in the blood that block it, mostly the different blood ties within the blood from both sides of your family. If I get rid of some of the impurities, it is possible to reawaken this hidden power inside of you thus releasing not only the true Uzumaki Bloodline but whatever else that mystical piece hides in your blood."** Naruto smiled and said, "Well what are you waiting for; bring out my true power!"

Silence echoed throughout the sewer as Naruto looked at the Kyubi with a questioning look. "What's going on Kyuubi?" asked Naruto as an uncomforting aura hung in the air. **"If I'm going to do this,"** said the giant fox with a stern look in his eyes, **"I want something in return; I want some freedom."** Naruto angrily pointed a stub at the fox and said, "There is no way in HELL am I going to let you loose on innocent people! I'd rather have no arms than knowing that I let loose one of the most dangerous demons on the world!" The Kyuubi let out a sigh and said, **"I never said that I wanted complete freedom, just some freedom. All I am asking is to just walk around and feel everything that I'm missing out on as all I get is what you see and the emotions and pain you feel. I never get the chance to and the last time I could only remember is when I was controlled; I don't even remember half the things during those times! Again, all I am asking for is to possess a Shadow Clone every now and then, I'm not leaving an untrained pipsqueak alone with my chakra! I'll even restore your arms!"** Naruto scowled and said, "You said you couldn't heal them so how are you going to do that!?" The fox slammed its hand-like paw and said, **"I said that I couldn't heal your arms at that time as the damage was too extensive, but by restoring your arms using that mystical part in your blood, it will be like the that whole removal of your previous arms never happened as you will grow those arms back. So what do you say; deal or no deal?"**

Naruto considered his options; he could let the Kyuubi tamper with his blood and not only get something cool out of it but get his arms back, or just live the rest of his life without hands and unable to truly repay his savior. Should he choose to let the Kyuubi tamper with his blood, Naruto just has to let it possess a Kage Bushin and after thinking about it, it would be like having a friend from Konoha…one that will literally be with him till he dies. _What should I choose?_ Naruto thought as he sat down and crossed his arms, _I want to continue my career but I can't do that without hands, but can I really grant the Kyuubi that kind of freedom. I wish I had something to help me with this choice._

"Follow your heart…"

Naruto looked around to find the voice, but only saw himself and the Kyuubi. **"Well Kit, I'm waiting,"** said the giant fox getting impatient, **"If you don't make a choice, I'll make it for you!"**

"Listen to the voice inside your heart…" said the mysterious voice, "You can make whatever choice you want, just follow your heart child." Naruto closed his eyes and let the voice's wisdom seep in. "Okay Kyuubi, I've made my decision," said Naruto with fire in his eyes as he stared down the fox, "give me back my arms!" The fox nodded and said, **"Better prepare yourself because the amount of pain you'll feel will make that Chidori you took feel like a bee sting compare to this!"**

***Crystal Temple; Steven's Room***

Pearl was sitting near the couch where the boy she saved on the beach was laying. She was trying to help Steven with summoning his Gem's power when the two of them saw a patch of orange in the ocean and when the orange patch drifted onto shore, she and Steven discovered that it was a young boy with blonde hair. To their horror, the boy wasn't breathing so Pearl had Steven run and get help while she performed CPR on the blonde with hope of saving his life. She continued on until the boy coughed up water and looked at her with beautiful ocean blue eyes as the boy thanked her before passing out.

A medic had arrived and examined the blonde to find that the boy will live and just needed some rest, but said that if the group needed anything else to contact the hospital. After that, Garnet had carried the boy into their home and laid him on the couch where the child could rest. No one could ignore the stubs on his arms where the boy's hands once were and could only imagine what could have happened. Pearl continued to watch the boy as the others continued on with their day, knowing that the perfectionist would make sure that the boy was safe and well taken care of.

"What could have happened to someone like you?" said Pearl as she looked at the stubs with tears forming in her eyes, "How could you have been robbed of your hands as a child?" The Crystal Gem gently ran a hand on the whisker-like marks on the boy's face and she couldn't help but think how they give a certain roguish charm to the blonde. _Those marks make him look cute,_ Pearl thought to herself before she shook her head, _Come on Pearl, he's probably around Steven's age, maybe a little older, and you're old enough to be his great-great grandmother…then again, Rose was A LOT older when she married Greg, but they're adults and you're a teenager while the boy is just a pre-teen!_

A scream woke Pearl from her thoughts as she then saw the boy writhing in pain as a red aura enveloped him. The Crystal Gem fell off the chair as the others entered to only hear a painful scream escape from the blonde. Steven walked next to Pearl and said, "Pearl what happened, what's wrong with him?!" Pearl got to her feet and said, "I don't know Steven; I was just watching him and then he started screaming."

Amethyst was about to place a hand on the blonde's forehead until another hand stopped her. That hand belonged to Garnet, the leader of the Crystal Gems. "Don't touch him, Amethyst," said the woman as she brought out a frozen hotdog and placed it on the aura. Much to the shock of everyone, the aura enveloped the hotdog and began to dissolve it right before their eyes. "Whoa," said Steven as he watched the last of the hotdog be eaten away in the air, "it's like acid." Pearl looked at the tall woman and asked, "What should we do Garnet? Should we call the hospital?"

Before anyone could act, another scream from the boy gained their attention to reveal that the stubs have now blown open with bone and flesh growing from it. "I'm gonna be sick," said Amethyst as she tried to hold back her nausea as she watched hands beginning to form. It was a sickening sight as the new hands finished growing fingernails from the cuticles, then something else happened. Just above the boy's wrists, two orange square gems formed in a blinding light. "He's...he's a Crystal Gem!" said Pearl as she looked at the two gems on the boy's arms, "Those are amber gems!"

Everything was silent until the blonde began to move and slowly sat up. "He's coming to," said Pearl as the blonde slowly opened his eyes to reveal his shiny blue eyes. The boy put his head in one of his hands before pulling it back and smiled before saying, "He did it…he actually did it! My hands are back!" The blonde flexed the fingers on his two new hands before he saw the two gemstones embedded into his arms. "What the…" said the boy with confusion on his face as he examined the gems.

"Are you alright?" asked Pearl as she gently placed her hand on the boy's shoulder, "You gave us quite a scare when your arms grew back." The blonde turned to face Pearl and stared at her for a few seconds before hugging her thin frame and giving her a barrage of thanks. The Crystal Gem was taken by surprise, but she then enveloped the boy in a loving hug and gently rubbed his back.

After calming down, the boy let go of Pearl and said, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, former shinobi of Konohagakure and I wish to thank you for saving my life!" Pearl smiled a bit and said, "Hello Naruto, I'm Pearl and these are my friends, Garnet, Amethyst, and Steven. We are the Crystal Gems, and apparently you're one too." Naruto raised an eyebrow until he saw the large pearl embedded in the thin girl's forehead before looking at the gems on his arms. "Crystal Gems are guardians of Earth who rely on the mystical powers of their gems," said Garnet as she revealed the two garnets embedded into her palms, "Our powers involve from simple shape shifting to even summoning weapons that are unique to each one." Garnet's hand glowed briefly before two large, red gauntlets with two large, golden stars near the knuckles appeared out of thin air on her hands. "Cool," said Naruto as his eyes shone with excitement at the sight, "So all of you can summon really cool weapons!"

"All but Steven here," said Amethyst as she lightly jabbed Steven with her elbow, "he's still working on getting his to work for him, but with you around he's not going to be alone." Pearl gave the Crystal Gem a look and said, "We can't have him join us after we just pulled him from the ocean and saved him from drowning! He could still go into shock and needs time to recover from whatever happened!" Pearl then felt a hand on her shoulder to see Naruto looking at her with a stern face and eyes full of confidence. "I'll join you seeing how I'm now an exiled ninja," said Naruto as he got confused looks from the others around him, "but first I have a of promise to keep up. Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

In a large plume of smoke, another Naruto appeared next to him before this Naruto's looks began to change: his spikey, blonde hair smoothed out and became blood-red, the whisker-like marks on his face became more pronounced and curved, and when he opened his eyes, gone were the sparkling blue eyes as cold, blood-red eyes with slits in them. "Thanks for keeping your end of the deal Kit," said the Naruto copy with a cool, chilling voice, "but to save us some trouble in the future, my name's Kurama; Kyuubi is just a title you humans have given me."

"Kyuubi?" said Garnet with wonder, "As in, the Nine-Tailed Fox?" Kurama looked at the Crystal Gems and said, "Yes…that Kyuubi." Garnet nodded as Steven asked, "You know him?" Amethyst raised an eyebrow and asked, "The same Kyuubi that Rose told us about when she told us about Mito Uzumaki?" Kurama chuckled and said, "She was my first jinchuriki and she and my previous jinchuriki before the boy never gave me any form of freedom as the mental link is just a given; I'm trapped inside of them with only hearing and seeing from their perspective and I only feel pain and emotions from them, I actually wanted to feel a cool forest breeze on my fur and the dirt underneath my paws…but all I get is that I'm nothing but an evil monster when the real monster is that UCHIHA BASTARD!" Breathing heavily after venting some anger, Kurama let out a sigh and said, "Just what the doctor ordered; good to let out some anger and know that it was all me."

"Now that that's out of the way," said Amethyst as she moved some of her hair behind her head, "What were you doing in the middle of the ocean?" A small frown formed on Naruto's face as he looked at Kurama for a bit of guidance. "Go ahead and tell them," said Kurama as he knew about the blonde's trust issues, "I'll fill in what blanks I can and we'll just see from there." Letting out a sigh, Naruto began telling the Crystal Gems where he was from, some of the people he had met, and eventually telling them about his whole life while Kurama stepped in to provide some important details that Naruto missed out. After hearing about Naruto's life, the Gems were both amazed at how a young boy could survive such a life and appalled at how others have treated the boy; even Garnet was clenching her fists tightly in boiling anger. "How could people treat a small child like that for something out of their control!?" ranted Amethyst as she was tempted to find Naruto's abusers and giving them a piece of her mind. Steven was appalled at how a girl Naruto once liked had done something so heartbreaking after the blonde had kept his promise. Pearl on the other hand had tears rolling down her face at the thought of the boy being so alone and in pain for so long.

Naruto then shut his eyes tightly, expecting the Crystal Gems to reject him and begin to chase him away, but he was surprised at the feeling of loving warmth wrapped around him. The blonde opened his eyes to see the Gems hugging him with tears on their faces. "What…" asked Naruto in confusion, "What are you doing? Don't you want to beat me or chase me out?" The Gems let go and backed up a bit as Pearl said, "We would never do such horrid things to such a person like you, Naruto; you deserve so much love after what you had been put through." Amethyst placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and said, "Yeah, that Sakura…girl doesn't know what a great friend she had just lost because she was kissing some boy's ass." Taken aback, Pearl gave Amethyst a scolding look and said, "Not in front of Steven and Naruto!" Garnet walked by the two Gems and placed her hands on Naruto's shoulders before enveloping the blonde into a hug as Naruto heard something that he had only dreamed of hearing before getting kicked out of the orphanage.

"Welcome to our family, Naruto."

**How will Steven's adventures be affected with Naruto now a member of the Crystal Gems? A slight note about the Crystal Gems' ages is that I'm having Garnet as an adult while Pearl and Amethyst are teenagers while Steven will be twelve years old as his age hasn't been mentioned yet. Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne**

**P.S.: STOP SOPA!**


	2. Chapter 2

**This is Ryu Kotei with another chapter of Fox of Amber and a reminder to help spread the word about needing to put an end to SOPA before everyone loses their complete freedom of the internet. As a reminder, SOPA affects Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, , and many more awesome sights that allow us to show others the great imaginations that anyone can have. We need to end SOPA forever!**

**On a final note, I do not own Naruto or Steven Universe.**

"Believe in Steven!" normal speech

_"Believe in Steven!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Believe in Steven!"** demon speech

Chapter 2: New Resolutions

*** Beach City; Crystal Temple***

Naruto stood on the sands of the beach that was in front of the Crystal Temple with his toes in the silky sand. _This feels nice,_ Naruto thought while the sea breeze caressed his skin as he stood in an orange Hawaiian shirt and red and black swimming trunks, _to feel something so nice after having nothing but misery with little happiness._ It had been a whole week since Naruto had arrived in Beach City and he's been adjusting alright with the help of Steven and his father, Greg, along with the Crystal Gems; Pearl helped Naruto learn about his power as a Gem, Garnet and Kurama helped him with his training as a shinobi and a Gem, and Amethyst, Steven, and Greg helped the blonde with his social life. Overall, Naruto was enjoying his new start.

Naruto then began to think about the other Crystal Gems and how they had helped him with his new life. Garnet, being the leader of the group, was a real sensei to Naruto and at times a true mother figure for him whenever he needed it; something between the two had somehow clicked as the tall woman would help correct Naruto's stances or even just provide that motherly wisdom for the blonde. _Stern like a leader should be,_ Naruto thought as he remembered some of the teachings Garnet had given him, _yet kind like a mother._

Amethyst was immediately Naruto's sister as the Gem would sometimes know how to cheer the blonde up or even just hang out with him for fun. Whether she would annoy Pearl or Kurama or even freak Greg out through her gem's power, Amethyst would always bring a smile to Naruto's face. _I'm glad to have someone like Ammy-chan as a sister,_ Naruto thought as he chuckled at some of the pranks he and the Gem would pull off sometimes, _even if I'm the victim sometimes._

But then his thoughts went to Pearl, the girl who had saved his life on the beach. The girl was very beautiful and her delicate form both in and out of combat just caught his attention in ways Naruto would have never thought. The pearl embedded into the Gem's forehead just added to her beauty like a priceless tiara that could only be perfect for the right princess. Even her voice was pure enough to turn angels green with envy and Naruto has been hypnotized by Pearl's voice quite a few times. _Even her nose is cute,_ Naruto thought as a dreamy look in his eyes and a small blush on his face,_ Pearl-chan is a princess among princesses._

**"Kit,"** said Kurama from inside Naruto's mind, **"you do know that she's old enough to even be Tsunade's great-grandmother!"**_ So what,_ Naruto argued with the fox, _besides, Pearl-chan told me that she and Ammy-nee are teenagers in terms of age as Crystal Gems._ **"Okay, so physically she could be about three or four years older than you, big deal,"** said Kurama as he rolled his eyes, **"How is an idiot like you supposed to impress a girl like her, hmmm?"** Naruto turned towards the temple and thought, _Love is crazy like that, Kurama…at least I think its love?_ **"You don't even know if it is love or just another crush,"** scolded Kurama as he reluctantly brought up the memory of Sakura crushing his arms, **"and I absolutely refuse to let you go through that again! Even though you never showed it, you were balling your eyes out after what that bitch did to you!"** Naruto scowled a bit at the memory as he bitterly thought, _I'm over her considering she was willing to end my ninja career even after fulfilling a promise to her; Pearl-chan would never do that, I know it._

The blonde entered the house to see that the Crystal Gems, minus Steven, had just returned from whatever mission they were on. "How did everything go?" asked Naruto as he opened the fridge to pull out a can of cola, "Anything interesting or important happened?" Amethyst walked towards Naruto and said, "Aside from monster fighting, nothing really exciting. I'm going to find Steven." Naruto chuckled a bit after his sister figure exited the door and said, "I bet $10 that Ammy-nee has a huge crush on Steven." Pearl giggled a bit while Garnet had somehow vanished into the temple. "I can actually see those two together," said Pearl as she got a bottle of water from the fridge, "So how have you've been since you decided to live here? I can't believe it's already been a week since you arrive; it feels like yesterday that you had just washed up on the shore."

"I've been alright," said Naruto as he took a sip of the cola, "everything will fall into place soon enough." Pearl smiled a bit as it was still taking some time for Naruto to adjust to everything, but she was happy that the boy was adjusting. Pearl and the others had been helping him adjust to everything after Naruto decided to live in Beach City; from a simple change in diet to even hanging out with others, the Crystal Gems were there when Naruto needed it. "I think I may ask Greg to teach me how to play the guitar," Naruto said as he tossed the empty can into a small recycling bin, "Just something to get my mind off things."

"Any luck with activating your gem?" asked Pearl as she looked at the two orange amber gems on Naruto's arm, "I'm kind of curious about what your gem's weapon could be." Naruto examined the gems on his arms; he has tried to bring out their power like the others (and Steven occasionally), but he had only successfully mastered shape shifting, projecting holographic images (mostly maps and other forms of navigation), a universal translator, and he is getting a hang of psychokinetic abilities similar to Garnet. "I'd like to know myself," said Naruto as he examined his reflection in the amber gem in his right arm, "whatever they may be, I'll use them to protect those who are precious to me…even at the cost of my life."

"Precious to you?" asked Pearl, "You mean those who are close to you?" Naruto nodded as a stern looked appeared on his face as he said, "Remember that because of my condition with Kurama sealed inside of me that I never had a lot of friends. At first I had no one, but as time went on, I was able to get friends: the couple at Ichiraku's, Iruka-sensei, the Sandaime Hokage, Konohamaru and his friends, and I was then able to make friends with the other genin, even Sasuke and Sakura long ago." Pearl saw the blonde close his eyes and let out a sigh; the memories of what was had still haunted Naruto.

"On one of the missions I had," said Naruto as he opened his eyes and looked at Pearl, "I had met someone who told me the secret of finding true strength: in order to find my true strength, I have to fight for the people I hold dear and consider precious to me. It was ironic that he died protecting the one he considered a father." Naruto got off the chair and looked out the window with eyes of determination. "Now after meeting you and the others," continued the blonde as he saw Steven and Amethyst throwing a Frisbee back and forth, "I now have new people that I consider precious to me. I'm not saying that because you saved my life, I'm forever grateful you did Pearl-chan, but I'm saying that because you guys have helped me with so much this past week with adjusting to my new life. I will fight to protect everyone from all dangers that arrive and more; just like the Yondaime Hokage, I'll fight to the bitter end to ensure the safety of those I consider both friend and family."

A bright light shone from Naruto's arms as the two realized that the gems' weapon was about to appear. The glow was bright enough to be seen from outside as Steven and Amethyst rushed in to see the commotion. "No way," said Steven as Naruto began to focus on bringing out the weapon. Garnet arrived to just see the blonde summon his weapons: two golden gauntlets with claws formed on his hands as spiked armored plates soon formed up his arms towards the shoulders where shoulder plates in the form of fox heads rested. "Amazing," said Pearl as the light died down, allowing the others to examine the gauntlets, "I have never seen gauntlets such as these before!" Naruto examined the gauntlets with inspired awe as he could feel the power radiating from them. _So this is the power of the Amber,_ the blonde thought as he flexed his fingers to examine the claws on the gauntlets, _I will use this to protect those who are precious to me…including you, Pearl-chan._

Naruto let the claws vanish as the others were smiling at what the blonde had accomplished. "That was awesome Naruto!" said Amethyst as she wrapped an arm around Naruto's shoulders, "Betcha can't wait to fight some monsters with those claws!" The blonde chuckled at Amethyst's and Steven's energy as the two of them began talking about how awesome Naruto was, but he then saw Garnet approached him with her stoic face. "Guess this means my training is going to be more intense now that I can summon my weapon, right?" Naruto asked as he then received a nod from Garnet. The blonde did a small fist pump as he said, "Bring it on Sensei!"

***Konohagakure; Hokage's Office***

Tsunade was looking over some paper work as she had a very long week since Naruto's banishment and sudden disappearance. She had stripped Sakura of her shinobi rank for her attack on Naruto, then had to deal with what the council wanted to do with the treacherous Uchiha. Thankfully the Fire Daimyo was there and had heard everything and through much arguing, Sasuke was to be stripped of his shinobi rank and have his chakra sealed until the Curse Mark that Orochimaru had placed on him was dealt with; even if the Curse Mark was the sole cause of Sasuke's attempted defection, Tsunade didn't want to chance anything in case the Uchiha tried anything. The Civilian Council wasn't too happy, but after hearing the truth and discovering the corruption hidden in the council, the Daimyo disbanded the Civilian Council and executed them along with Hiruzen's former teammates and Danzo. Unfortunately the warhawk had escaped using his implanted Sharingans on his implanted Mokuton arm, which the news caused panic within the village when the truth about the Uchiha Massacre was made public during Danzo's escape. Tsunade then rescinded Naruto's banishment and sent Iruka and Kakashi to retrieve the blonde, only to learn from the sailors that the ship Naruto was on ran into a powerful storm and no one on the ship had survived.

News of Naruto's supposed death had shocked everyone as word had spread like a dangerous wildfire. Iruka had gone into a deep depression at the thought of losing his little brother, Ichiraku's was closed for a week as the owners took the time to mourn the death of their favorite customer, even the remaining Konoha 12, minus Sakura and Sasuke, had held a small private funeral for their lost comrade. When word had reached Suna, Garra had wept for his first friend and would have attacked Konoha if Baki and Garra's siblings hadn't held him back while comforting him. Then the other countries that Naruto had aided began cutting off deals with Konoha and giving them to Suna and The Great Naruto Bridge had placed a heavy tax on all Konoha shinobi while the Princess from Snow/Spring refused to star in the Icha Icha Movie declaring that she would never be involved with anything that was related to Konoha.

Things only got worse when Naruto's heritage was revealed as many of the people who have harmed Naruto began to either panic about harming the child of the Yondaime Hokage or go into denial about the Yondaime having a son. The law involving Naruto's status as a jinchuriki was rescinded as the truth about the Kyuubi's defeat was revealed with Jiraiya explaining the seal that the Yondaime had used, explaining that if Naruto were to die, the great Kyuubi would have been released. _It wouldn't have mattered anyway,_ Tsunade thought as she turned her chair around to look out the window, _Naruto is gone and he is never coming back, even if he has pulled of the impossible many times before._

Tsunade was pulled from her thoughts as Jiraiya had entered through the window with a smile on his face. "Orochimaru better be permanently dead or dying with no hope of coming back if you're smiling like that," Tsunade threatened as she wasn't in the mood for any of Jiraiya's antics. "Unfortunately no, Hime," said Jiraiya before he quickly said, "but I do had good news and bad news." Tsunade gave the Toad Sage a look to continue on before she decided to hurt him. "The good news is that Naruto is still very much alive and well," said Jiraiya until the blonde before him began to hug him with schoolgirl giddy. "Naruto's alive! Where is he? How is he doing? Tell me how my little gaki's doing!" said Tsunade with a desperate voice. "Calm down, Tsunade, you're going to give yourself a heart attack," said Jiraiya as the Hokage calmed herself down, "Naruto is alive, but the bad news is that there no way to find Naruto in the Elemental Countries because he's not in any of the Lands. His name is still active in the Toads' contract, but unfortunately there's something wrong."

Tsunade didn't like what was coming up as if even the Toads can't bring back one of their summoners, then the only way to find Naruto would be the hard way. "For some odd reason," said Jiraiya as he crossed his arms, "the Toads cannot summon Naruto and they discovered that something is preventing them. The Elder Toads had said something had drastically changed the gaki's blood which probably preventing them from summoning him; like Naruto is both himself _and_ another person at the same time." This caught Tsunade off guard; could a simple blood transfusion be blocking the Toads. _No that's impossible,_ Tsunade thought as she remembered doing a blood transfusion with Kakashi one time and the jonin was still able to summon the Dogs. "You and I both know that a blood transfusion wouldn't prevent any of the animals from reverse summoning those who have signed their contract," said Tsunade as she laced her fingers together before resting her chin on them, "So Naruto or the Kyuubi must have done something for this to happened; any clue as to how?" Jiraiya frowned as he said, "Unless Naruto had signed another contract or died, something like this should be impossible. More than likely the fox, or something else, is preventing the Toads from bringing Naruto to them."

Before the two could continue, there was a knock on the door. "Enter," said Tsunade as the door opened, "What do you wish to talk about?" The person walked through the doorway and with determination, she asked, "I wish become your apprentice, if you will allow me." Tsunade studied the girl over and began to size her up; the Hokage knew that the girl was on the meek side, but she saw great potential in her as the tightened knuckles showed both nervousness and determination. "I hope you understand that what I would teach you should be used for the right purpose," said Tsunade as she circled around the girl, "because if I ever hear that you are abusing what I have taught you, I WILL beat you into your own grave. Do I make myself clear?" The girl had swallowed a lump in her throat before she said, "Hai, Shishou!" Tsunade briefly smiled until she saw Sakura enter the office.

"Lady Hokage," said Sakura as she bowed towards the woman, "please take me as your apprentice, I need to make everything right…I need to apologize to Naruto for what I've done to him. It was wrong for me to do that to him and seeing what he has gone through…I need him to forgive me!" Tsunade frown and said, "Unfortunately Haruno, I have no desire to teach someone who would never treat their comrade with such hatred, even after fulfilling a promise they might make to her. Besides…" Tsunade placed her hands on the shoulders of the previous girl and said, "I have already found my apprentice since she would never allow herself to be blinded by her own fantasies. That and she never smashed her comrade's arms into oblivion, robbing him of not only his career as a ninja, but his dreams as well! Now get out!" Sakura had a look of devastation on her face before she ran out the office with tears running down her face.

"Wasn't that a bit harsh Shishou?" asked Hinata as she looked at her new master. Tsunade let out a sigh and said, "One of the most important lessons that you will learn from me is that life never plays fair as one day will be the best day you ever had, then complete crap the next day. Now be back here tomorrow at 8 a.m. and be ready for the most intense training you have ever had in your life." The Hyuga nodded before she dashed out the office with a smile on her face. "I can't believe that Hinata of all people came up and asked you to take her as your apprentice," said Jiraiya with a bit of shock in his eyes. "Hinata Hyuga has more than earned the right to become my apprentice," said Tsunade as she pulled out a small container of healing ointment, "With her skills in medicine as well as her acute chakra control, I could mold her into the best damn medical ninja in Konohagakure as well as trust her with my secrets." Jiraiya wasn't sure to either be awed at the possibility of Hinata's full potential being brought out thanks to Tsunade, or scared to death at a Hyuga version of Tsunade thanks to said Sanin. "Just be careful with her Hime," said Jiraiya as he paled at the second thought, "Her unfortunate history due to her father had made her frail, so try not to break her." Tsunade smirked as he moved one of her ponytails behind her head and said, "I don't plan on breaking Hinata…I plan on recreating her into the shinobi she is meant to be."

***Beach City; Crystal Temple***

Naruto had his claws ready as he was in a sparring match with Garnet who had her gauntlets prepared for an attack. "Fight till one of us surrenders?" said Naruto as he got into his brawler battle stance. Garnet said nothing as she got into her own stance, sending the silent message to the blonde. The two stared each other down until Naruto rushed in for the first blow. Garnet easily blocked the attack and countered with a swift elbow to Naruto's gut before grabbing Naruto's wrist and tossed him to the side. The blonde bounced off the sand once before getting to his feet while gripping the sand to slow his momentum. Garnet leapt into the air and was about to slam a fist into Naruto before the blonde jumped to the side to avoid the attack. Naruto shielded his eyes from the flying sand before he saw his opponent charge towards him. "Gem Style…" said Naruto as he pulled his arms back, launching some small spikes, "Crystal Needles!" Seeing no chance of escape, Garnet crossed her arms and buried her face behind them as multiple needles were jabbed into her body and hair.

"Not bad Naruto," said Garnet as she pulled out one of the golden needles in her shoulder, "I see that you have improved in the past few days of training. Let's see how much longer you can last in a fight." Garnet rushed towards Naruto for an overhead attack, but she missed as the blonde jumped back. _I can't slow down,_ Naruto thought as he dodged another attack from his mentor, _even if Garnet-sensei is holding back, I can't let my guard down for even a second._ The blonde went to slash his opponent, but Garnet sidestepped and grabbed his wrist before throwing him towards the sidelines where the other Gems and Greg were watching. Naruto slid on the sand and got to his knees as he saw Garnet leapt towards him from up above with an attack ready. "He's done for," said Greg not seeing the smirk on Naruto's face. "I wouldn't say that," said Pearl as she knew that the blonde was up to something, "Naruto has a lot of tricks up his sleeves."

Garnet slammed her fist into the sand and when the dust settled, Naruto was nowhere to been seen. "Where did he go?" asked Amethyst as she and Steven looked for the blonde. Garnet looked around as she took a few steps back as she wondered where her opponent was. No one notice a small mound of sand building from behind the tall woman until it had burst open to reveal Naruto with an attack ready. Garnet noticed too late as the attack connected into her back and the blonde dove back underneath the sand. "Clever," said Garnet she held her injured back as she saw a small dust cloud of sand moving around, "but not clever enough." Garnet pulled back a fist as she watched the dust cloud move around in different direction before two more dust clouds formed and began closing in towards her. It wasn't until the three clouds got close enough before she slammed her fist into the ground, causing three Narutos to be launched out and disappeared into clouds of smoke. _Where are _you_ Naruto,_ Garnet thought until a small mound of sand formed behind her, _There!_ The mound erupted as Naruto had his hands in the form of the tiger seal. "A Thousand Years of-urk!" said Naruto until Garnet sidestepped and landed a powerful blow to his head. The blonde was about to get up before he felt pressure on his back and the back of his neck and turned to see Garnet holding him down. "Crap," said Naruto as he knew he was finished and had no other choices, "I give."

Garnet got up and helped Naruto to his feet as the others approached them. "That was good Naruto," said Garnet as she dusted herself, "but you should find a better stance for your weapon; your normal brawler stance only focuses on brute strength. You should try and find a stance that will help you focus on speed instead of power." Naruto bowed towards his mentor before he saw a large mound of sand building in the distance. "Sensei…" said Naruto as he pointed off towards the distance as everyone looked to see a giant blue crab rise from underneath the sand.

Acting quickly, Garnet turned towards the others and said, "Get ready! Steven, you and your father need to get to safety while we deal with this!" Steven wanted to argue, but the look on the others and on his father convinced him otherwise. "But Garnet," said Steven as he tried to argue, "you're injured." Garnet looked at the giant crab and said, "I've had worst." Greg quickly grabbed his son as he decided to let the experienced fighters deal with the monster. Garnet looked at Pearl, Amethyst, and Naruto with a small smirk and said, "Let's go." The Crystal Gems along with Naruto rushed towards the large crustacean as a great battle began to unfold…

**Don't forget to rate and review as well as spread the word about needing to stop SOPA!**

**Ja ne!**


	3. Chapter 3

**This is Ryu Kotei saying that we only have a couple of days to stop SOPA from completely destroying everything we like about the internet. I was also asked where the amber gems are located on Naruto's arms; they're located just a couple of inches above his wrists on his forearms. The claws Naruto uses are somewhat similar to the claws that the Demon Brothers use with the exception that Naruto's has large, quill-like spiked travelling up his arms like how the previous chapter had said.**

**On a final note, I do not own Naruto or Steven Universe.**

"Believe in Steven!" normal speech

_"Believe in Steven!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Believe in Steven!"** demon speech

Chapter 3: The BIG Mission

***Beach City; Crystal Temple***

Naruto and the three Gems rushed towards the giant crab monster as the beast let out a screeching roar. Naruto summoned his claws as the others followed by summoning their weapons. "Watch the pincers!" said Garnet as she grabbed an attacking pincer to prevent any further injury done to her. Amethyst used her whip to pull at one of the crab's spear-like legs while Pearl and Naruto charged towards the beast, weapons ready. "Aim for its underbelly," said Pearl as she had her sights set on the baby blue underbelly of the beast, "that is where its most weakest at." Naruto nodded as he formed a hand seal and said, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Smoke erupted as ten Narutos had appeared before them with their own claws rushing towards the giant crab.

"Pearl look out!" cried Steven as said Gem looked to see a the crab's pointed leg about to impale her. Pearl was about to jump away when all of a sudden she felt a rush and a cry before looking to see Naruto getting impaled. Naruto the disappeared in a cloud of smoke as another Naruto said, "Gotta love the Clone Jutsus." Pearl saw that a few other Narutos were swiped away by the crab's giant pincer before disappearing in clouds of smoke. The Gems let out a sigh as the real Naruto was somehow still save…where was he by the way?

"HEY UGLY!" Naruto roared as three more Narutos were with him, "Let's see how you like this!" Naruto held his right hand back as the duplicate was moving his hands around as a sphere of energy began to form in the original's hand. Two of the Naruto then turned around and cupped their hands before giving the other two a small boost in their jump. The Naruto that was forming the now developed sphere of energy had then disappeared as the original slammed the sphere into the beast's underbelly and said, "Rasengan!" Garnet and Amethyst had let go as the giant crab was thrown into the air in a short distance by the sheer force of the attack. The original Naruto then quickly jumped back before the giant crab could crash on top of him as a Naruto clone approached the original's side. "Time to try it out," said the original Naruto as he brought out his right hand with the clone moving his hands to form another sphere of energy, but this time the sphere was golden. Naruto felt the strain of concentrating both chakra and his Gem's power as he dispelled his clawed gauntlets, but the two amber gems remained glowing. "Gem Style…" said Naruto as he rammed the golden sphere into the crab's exposed mouth, "Golden Rasengan!" The sphere exploded as the beast was disintegrated in a golden light as all that was left was a dark blue fist-sized gem stone.

Everyone stared in shock and awe at the power that was displayed; Naruto had just destroyed a giant crab with two spheres made of energy with one of them having his gem's power. Naruto felt his right arm droop as he had lost feeling in it from the amount of strain put in that last attack. **"Don't worry, Kit,"** said Kurama from inside Naruto's mind, **"I'm fixing up your arm and with the combination of my power along with your gem's, your arm should be back to normal in about three days."** _That's good to know,_ Naruto thought as the last thing he saw was Garnet teleporting the gemstone away before running towards him as the world had gone dark on him.

A few days had passed since the Gems defeated the giant crab monster and Naruto was walking down the beach after Garnet had told him to get the others as they had a mission. "I wonder what that mission could be?" Naruto asked himself before he saw Pearl, Amethyst, and Steven walking towards him with Pearl and Amethyst arguing over something. "Hey Naruto," said Steven with a cheerful smile, "have you ever seen a giant woman before?" The two Gems stopped their arguing as they saw the confused look on Naruto's face before Pearl said, "What Steven is referring to is Opal, a powerful warrior created when Amethyst and I fuse together."

"Huh…that would be pretty cool to see," said Naruto as he motioned the others to follow him to the temple, "Garnet-sensei has a mission for us. She mentioned something about beetles or something." Pearl looked at Naruto before she asked, "Are you okay to join us?" Naruto flexed his arm as he said, "With Kurama's help, I've always been a pretty fast healer and I'm healing much better thanks to my gem's power as well."

"If you say so," said Amethyst as the group arrived in the temple where Garnet was waiting for them as Steven rushed toward the leader. "Did you bring me a souvenir?" Steven asked before Garnet handed him a small rock, "Whoa, a rock!" _A rock?_ Naruto thought in confusion at the boy's excitement over a simple stone, _unless…_ **"It's just a rock, Kit,"** said Kurama from inside Naruto's mind, **"just a worthless paperweight."**

"So how was your mission?" Pearl asked as she approached Garnet. "I've located the Geo Beetles of Heaven and Earth," said Garnet with her usual professionalism, "We should split up to retrieve them." _This should be interesting,_ Naruto thought as a certain bug-user appeared in his mind, _bet Shino would have loved this mission…I think?_ "Well I'm going with…Not Pearl," said Amethyst as Pearl gave her an annoyed look. "That's perfect because I don't want to go with grammatically incorrect people anyway," said Pearl in a calm tone. "You four go together," said Garnet, "I go alone."

"What?" asked Amethyst, Pearl, and Naruto as the same time, "Why?" Naruto was about to speak when Garnet said, "The Earth Beetle is at the bottom of a boiling lava lake and only I can swim in lava." Garnet the brought her hands together as goggles formed over her sunglasses. "You'll find the Heaven Beetle at the top of the Sky Spire," Garnet continued as she looked at the others, "It's safer." _She means boring,_ Naruto thought as he actually wanted to go with Garnet to see what she can do on missions before he saw Amethyst, Pearl, and Steven head towards the teleporter.

Naruto was about to join them when Garnet place a hand on his shoulder. "Please be careful," said Garnet with a slightly less stern voice, "and be sure to help Steven keep the harmony." Naruto nodded before joining the others and teleported away towards their destination. Even though she knew Kurama and the others would keep Naruto safe, Garnet still had a hint of worry for the small blonde since Naruto had passed out after the battle against the giant crab monster. She didn't know what it was, but Garnet couldn't explain the feeling she would have towards Naruto. She knew it wasn't the romantic love like she had seen on Pearl's face, but instead it was a different kind of love…like she wanted to protect her little boy and harm those who would dare hurt her child. "Please be careful," Garnet said as she faced the teleporter as she had a strange feeling in her heart.

***Sky Spire***

The Gems, minus Garnet, had arrived near their destination as Naruto fell off the teleporter with the world spinning around him. "Naruto," said Pearl as she dashed towards Naruto's side and helped the blonde get to his feet, "are you alright?" Naruto shook his head as he said, "Yeah, I'm fine…just wasn't used to that sudden rush is all." After the world corrected itself, Naruto looked to see the sight of the mountain and couldn't help but stare in awe at the sight. "Whoa," said Steven with awe in his eyes, "Is this where the Heaven Beetle lives?" Pearl looked as she said "Apparently." Amethyst crossed her arms as she then said, "All the way at the top."

The group ventured on the path as Steven asked questions about Opal with the occasional offering to make the mission shorter by having Pearl and Amethyst fuse into Opal. _Is this what it's like being around me?_ Naruto mentally asked as they continued up the stairs while Pearl and Amethyst shot down offer after offer. **"Not until he mellows out,"** Kurama answered, **"You on the other hand may never mellow out, Kit. Your Uzumaki blood allows you to just bounce back after just a 5 minute nap after an entire week of nonstop training."**

As the group reached the top of the first flight of stairs, they reached a small path with bushes near the path. One of the bushes moved as Pearl and Amethyst brought out their weapons while Naruto brought out a kunai and the trio were ready for a fight when a goat jumped out of the brush. "It's a magical goat guardian!" said Steven as he hid behind the group, "You need to form Opal before it kills us all." _Really?_ Naruto thought as he placed the kunai back in the pouch Garnet had given him. "We only fuse in a deadly situation," Pearl said as she approached the goat and held her hands towards it, "Does this look like a deadly situation."

_*chomp!*_

"OW!" Pearl yelped as she drew her hand away, "Hey! Bad mountain goat!" Amethyst fell over laughing at Pearl's plight while Naruto was tempted to make goat burgers. "Oh…" Steven sighed disappointedly, "I really wanted to see Opal." The young boy drew in a breath as he began to sing…

**_All I wanna do is see you turn into a giant woman,_**

**_A giant woman!_**

**_All I wanna be is someone who gets to see a giant woman,_**

**_A giant woman!_**

Naruto, Pearl and Amethyst looked at Steven sadly as it was disheartening to see the boy sad. They continued their journey while Steven continued to sing…

**_All I wanna do is help you turn into a giant woman,_**

**_A giant woman!_**

**_All I wanna be is someone who gets to see a giant woman._**

**_Oh, I know it'll be great and I just can't to see,_**

**_The person you are together._**

**_If you give it a chance you can do a huge dance,_**

**_Because you are a giant woman!_**

The group traveled while Naruto noticed Pearl and Amethyst messing with each other. It was reminding him about his life in Konoha when Team 7 was just starting out as it was really dysfunctional during the D-ranked missions they would do and Sakura and Sasuke would hardly spend time with him. He shook the memories with those two out of his head as he thought, _I need to forget about the past…we were never friends in the beginning anyway._

Pearl stole a glance towards Naruto and saw the hurt scowl on the blonde's face and knew that the boy was thinking about his painful past. She wanted to do something to help the blonde, but she didn't know where to start. _That look really doesn't suit Naruto,_ Pearl thought as she continued to walk on the path, _I wish for a way to help you get over that dreadful past._

**_You might even like being together and if you don't,_**

**_It won't be forever!_**

**_But if it were me I'd really wanna be a giant woman,_**

**_A giant woman!_**

**_All I wanna do is see you turn into a giant woman._**

As Steven finished the song, the group stopped at a bunch of floating rocks while the goat jumped across each one with great ease. Naruto stole a glance over the edge to see nothing but clouds before his skin turned pale. "Wait up Steven Jr." Steven called as he was about to jump before Pearl stopped him. "Wait, I'm not sure if you could make those jumps!" said Pearl as she held Steven back. "You should fuse into Opal and lay across the rocks like a bridge," said Steven as inside Naruto's mind, Kurama could help but face fault at the idea. "That would be easy," said Amethyst as she grabbed Steven at the wait, "but not as easy as this!"

To the surprise and horror of Naruto and Pearl, the purple Gem tossed Steven onto a floating rock before landing next to him. "STEVEN!" cried the two of them before the boy smiled. "It's alright you guys, see?" said Steven as he and Amethyst made the rock move before Steven fell off. Pearl quickly dove as Amethyst brought out her whip and wrapped it around Pearl. Naruto watched in awe as Pearl had grabbed Steven before Amethyst pulled them onto the rock safely. "That was great how you two worked together like that!" said Steven before he asked, "Why don't you two do that all the time?" The two gems looked away before crossing the rocks with Naruto following easily thanks to his shinobi skills, wondering about the same thing.

The group managed to reach the top to see a platform with a small little temple in the center of a lake. "I can't feel my legs anymore," said Steven before he saw the temple and dashed towards it, "Hey, look at that!" _That boundless energy must be a part of the Gem's power,_ Naruto thought in amaze as Steven and Pearl observed the temple. "But where's the beetle?" Pearl asked after Steven mentioned the contents inside, "The Heaven Beetle wouldn't leave, would it? Oh, it could be anywhere!" Amethyst scoffed as she said, "Maybe you should freak out more; that's really going to help us find it."

Pearl angrily stomped towards Amethyst as the two started to argue again. _Seriously?_ Naruto thought as he face palmed at the two, _Is this what Kakashi-sensei had to deal with?_ **"Kit…"** said Kurama as a cry echoed in the sky, **"you need to get Steven and move…like now!"** Before Naruto could ask, a loud explosion was heard as a giant bird with shadowy feather appeared from the water behind Naruto. "Naruto, look out!" cried Pearl and Amethyst with Steven somehow already next to them. Naruto turned to see the bird as the thought, _I really need to work on my attention span._

Naruto was about to perform a Substitution when the giant bird had swallowed both him and the goat. "NARUTO!" Pearl screeched in horror before she summoned her spear and threw the weapon towards the monster, only for the bird to eat the weapon. Amethyst grabbed Steven and pulled him inside the nearby building as she said, "In here guys!" Pearl hesitantly gave the bird another glance before dashing inside the building, praying that Naruto might be safe.

Inside the bird, Naruto had gotten up after narrowly avoiding Pearl's spear before the weapon could impale him. "Okay, this is the second time that I was eaten," said Naruto as he looked around to see all sorts of junk along with a few skeletons and rusted weapons. Naruto heard the sound of bleating as he turned to see the mountain goat gnawing on a small yellow beetle. "That must be the Heaven Beetle," Naruto said as he pried the beetle out of the goat's mouth, just in time for Steven to slid inside. "Steven!" said Naruto as he rushed towards the boy's side, "You okay?" Steven got up and saw the beetle in the blonde's hand before he said, "Is that the Heaven Beetle?" Naruto pocketed the shining bug as he looked around and said, "How about we bust out of here before we become bird droppings." Naruto formed a hand seal as he then said, "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Steven's eyes went completely wide with amazement as a multitude of Naruto's appeared and began to crowd the bird's inside. The real Naruto grabbed Steven and the goat as he said, "Hang on, this might get really messy!"

Just outside, an incredibly tall, four-armed woman with pale violet skin with two opals resting on her forehead and upon her breasts wearing clothes similar to Pearl's stood facing the giant bird. The woman was about to act when she saw the giant bird bloat up before exploding in a flash of light while Naruto was falling with Steven and the goat in his arms. "Naruto! Steven!" said the woman before she jumped into the sky and grabbed the trio before landing in the water. Steven looked up to see the woman set the goat aside before he asked, "Opal?"

Before the woman could respond, the small fragments of the large bird then formed into smaller versions of the bird and began to charge towards her. The giant gracefully dodged the attacking birds before sliding down the stairs and leaping onto the adjacent island. "Stay low you two," said Opal as she set Steven and Naruto down before bringing out Amethyst's whip along with Pearl's spear. The two weapons then combined to form a bow that was just as tall as her before she drew back the string with two hands while the other two held the bow tightly. A brightly glowing arrow formed in the bow as the woman aimed toward the flock of attacking birds.

Naruto quickly summoned his claws should any of the birds avoid Opal's attack, but saw the arrow fly into the middle of the flock and glowed brightly as each of the birds were evaporated into light. _Holy crap,_ Naruto thought in awe at the spectacle, _she's incredibly powerful._ After the light faded, the woman approached the two and helped Steven onto his feet. Feeling awkward about the new woman, Steven asked, "Do you…know who I am?" Opal smiled and chuckled before she began to sing…

**_All you wanna do is see me turn into…_**

With stars in his eyes, Steven quietly said, "…a giant woman!" Opal and Naruto sent their weapons away while the giant woman picked up the blonde and Steven and placed them onto her shoulders before heading back towards the teleporter so that they could head back home.

***Konohagakure***

Hinata was in her room at the Hyuga Estate as she was carefully massaging her aching shoulders after a grueling training session with Tsunade. She felt like that she was crushed repeatedly by multiple boulders. _Lady Tsunade had warned me that she wasn't going to hold back this time,_ Hinata thought as she was about to remove her shirt before she heard a knock at her door. "In a minute," said Hinata as she lowered her shirt and fixed it, "Come in."

The door opened to reveal Neji with a small tray that had a tea pot and a cup resting on it. "Your father wished for me to bring you some tea, Hinata-sama," said Neji as he gently placed the tray nearby and poured some tea into the cup, "He would also like to know how your training with the Hokage is going." Hinata picked up the cup and took a small drink before she said, "My training is quite difficult, but very fulfilling as the hard work will pay off in the long run. I'll tell father more about it shortly after I let my body rest."

Neji nodded in understand what his cousin had to go through as he had seen a bit of Hinata's training under the Godaime. The chakra training were not all that difficult as most of those sessions were focused on chakra control and mental concentration, but the physical training…those sessions were brutal as Tsunade held nothing back as Shizune and Kurenai would stand by and healed some of Hinata's injuries. _Her training sessions actually makes Gai-sensei's look like basic academy training,_ Neji thought as he had to suppress a shiver at the comparison between the two.

"Neji…" Hinata asked as she set the empty cup down on the tray, "do you think that we'll ever see Naruto-kun again?" When Tsunade had revealed to the now Konoha 9 that Naruto was still alive, everyone was excited to hear that their favorite blonde was still okay. Tsunade had then told them that while Naruto is still alive, the was no way of finding Naruto save for going out and searching for him. The Konoha 9 were about to asked for missions outside of the village when Tsunade had told them that going out and finding Naruto would take a very long time as the search would have to expand into other countries and so many islands that finding the blonde would possibly take years, if not months, of searching. While a few brought up Naruto's contract with the Toads, Tsunade once again shot the idea down as even they somehow can't reach the blonde stating that Naruto might be somewhere that reverse summoning can't reach or even a possibility of something preventing Naruto from summoning them. After the meeting, Tsunade had all of the Konoha 9 and their senseis, Kakashi included, to swear to not reveal this secret to anyone both in and out of the village as such information could cause more trouble for both Konoha and Naruto.

"I'm afraid I cannot answer, Hinata-sama," said Neji with a sigh of defeat, "All we can do is pray for his safety until the day we can bring him back." Hinata sadly nodded as she knew her cousin was right as it might be years before she could see that ball of sunshine again. "Thank you, Neji," said Hinata as she faced her cousin, "You can head on out. Give Father my thanks for the tea." Neji nodded as he picked up the tray and he was about to leave when he stopped.

"Hinata-sama," said Neji as he faced away from Hinata to hide the forming tears in his eyes, "I wish to apologize about my behavior during our match in the Chunin Exams. I let my anger get the best of me and tried to take it all out on you." Hinata let out a sigh as she had gone over this many times with Neji. "I have told you already that I forgive you for doing that," said Hinata as she didn't like to see Neji beat himself up over this, "You need to let go as this is hurting you; I have forgiven you many times and I really can't stand the sight of you harming yourself." A small tear rolled down Neji's cheek as he said, "I know Hinata-sama…but I still cannot forgive myself for letting myself be easily controlled by my anger…my hatred." Hinata walked towards Neji and gave her cousin a hug as she said, "That is all you have to do in order to get over this pain; you have to forgive yourself as this is only going to hold you back."

Neji smiled as his cousin's words rang true in his head as all he need to do is forgive himself. "Thank you, Hinata-sama, for your kind words," Neji said as Hinata slowly walked towards her bed, "You have a good evening." The Hyuga closed the door behind him as he left Hinata's room, feeling a great burden lifted off of his shoulders. _Thank you, Hinata-sama,_ Neji thought as he traveled down the hall, _and thank you…Naruto-san._

***Beach City; Crystal Temple***

Garnet stood by the teleporter as she was drying the remaining lava from her afro when a bright light signaled the return of Steven and his group. Garnet smiled as standing behind Steven and Naruto was someone she hasn't seen in quite a while: Opal. _So those two finally formed Opal again,_ Garnet thought as she approached the group. "The Heaven Beetle," Garnet asked as she hung the towel around her shoulders.

Opal's eyes opened up in shock as she said, "I don't have it!" A flash of light shone as Opal was split back into Pearl and Amethyst as the two crashed onto the floor. "Amethyst!" said Pearl as she sat up in shock, "You were distracted!" Amethyst looked back and said, "Hey, you were the one getting carried away with those fancy backflips!" Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out a small yellow beetle and asked, "Is this it?" Garnet smiled and said, "Good job you two."

The Gems brought out a small carrier where a dark blue beetle was resting inside as she put the Heaven Beetle inside before teleporting the carrier away. "I also see that you got your teammates to fuse." Steven puffed out his chest as he proudly said, "And all it took was me and Naruto getting eaten by a bird." _Did he really have to say it like that?_ Naruto thought as he could have sworn he could feel the slime from the insides of that bird. "Great work," said Garnet as she walked away, "You'll be great at fusing one day." Steven smiled with pride before he said, "Wait, I can do that too!" Pearl, Amethyst, and Naruto looked at each other with one similar thought, _Oh boy…_

It was the middle of the night as Naruto and Steven had gone to sleep with Steven in his bed while Naruto was on the couch. The door that lead deeper into the temple opened to reveal Garnet wearing grey sweats and a black sports bra as she was taking a light break from her training. The sound of rustling sheets and whimpering alerted the woman towards the couch as Garnet saw Naruto tossing and turning restlessly. "No…please…don't leave…me," Naruto wearily said in his sleep, "I'm…sorry…sorry…" _He must be having a nightmare,_ Garnet thought as she quietly approached the sleeping blonde. She carefully kneeled and saw the cold sweat on Naruto's face, seeing the troubled and frightened look on the blonde's sleeping face. _Something must have come up during the mission and reminded him of his past,_ Garnet thought as she looked around before removing her sunglasses, revealing her three eyes.

"Naruto," Garnet whispered as she gently placed a hand on Naruto's face and gently rubbed his whiskered cheek with her thumb. It seem to have worked as Naruto had greatly calmed down with a warm smile on his face. Garnet smiled lovingly as she looked at the blonde and felt warmth inside of her heart before Naruto spoke again. "Kaa…chan," Naruto said in his sleep, still unaware of Garnet kneeling nearby, "I…love you." _Did he just call me…mother?_ Garnet thought in shocked before she got to her feet and headed back to her room.

As she entered her room, Garnet looked over her schedule she had set up for both Naruto and Steven while her mind was still mulling over what Naruto had unwittingly called her. Garnet knew that the gems she and the others bear worked as universal translators as she had told Naruto the reason why he could understand everyone and vice-versa with Naruto occasionally speaking in his native tongue with certain words like sensei, one of the words for 'teacher' or 'mentor'. She could understand why Naruto would refer to her as a teacher, but a mother?

True she along with Pearl, Amethyst, and Greg had raised Steven after Rose had given up her physical form, but Naruto was somehow different. _He never knew who his parents were as no one had told him aside that they had died on the night he was born,_ Garnet thought sadly as she remembered that Naruto was an orphan, _but how could I somehow provide what a mother could? I only know the love that Rose had given us, but what should I do?_ Sighing in defeat, Garnet decided to get some sleep to help ease her mind with what to do from here…

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne!**

**P.S.: STOP SOPA!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Congratulations to everyone who helped saved the Internet from being ruined as SOPA has been defeated once more! Thank you all so much!**

**On a final note, I do not own Naruto or Steven Universe.**

"Believe in Steven!" normal speech

_"Believe in Steven!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Believe in Steven!"** demon speech

Chapter 4: Love and Chakra

***Beach City; Crystal Temple***

Outside the Temple, Naruto was sitting on the beach along with Steven as the two of them were waiting for Garnet to arrive for their training. **"Kit,"** Kurama spoke to Naruto from inside the blonde's mind, **"Kit, I think you should teach Steven a thing or two about chakra. It might help him in the long run."** _Wait a minute,_ Naruto spoke to the fox in confusion, _are you saying…train Steven into being a ninja?_ **"Not exactly,"** said Kurama as he laid down on the floor inside Naruto's mind, **"I mean, help him unlock his chakra and teach him a few easy jutsus like Substitution and Henge. We're not going to teach him any advanced jutsus, just simple academy jutsus."** _I don't know Kurama,_ Naruto thought as he tried imagining Steven using chakra, _I'm not sure if it's a good idea or if the others will allow it._

**"Well Kit from how I'm seeing it, he's just like you in terms of eagerness,"** Kurama said as he rolled his neck around, **"He's hyped up and with all of that energy he has, Steven's more likely to rush headfirst without even a decent idea on how to approach the enemy which will lead him into getting someone seriously hurt or killed. If he learns Substitution, Steven could avoid serious injury and with the Henge, it will be easier for Steven to learn how to shape shift. It's an easy win-win for both sides as you also learn a few ideas on how to better use the jutsus in combination with the amber gems."**

_What about the others?_ Naruto asked as he had a slight feeling that the other Gems might want to join in, especially Amethyst. **"I'm not sure if full-blooded Crystal Gems could use chakra,"** Kurama said as he knew that the blonde would asked that question, **"but even if they were just part-gems like you and Steven, it will be next to impossible as their chakra coils would have been permanently set. With age does come wisdom, but that also brings difficulties with learning a new trick or two. You can't teach an old dog new tricks or anything about chakra."**

_I'll mull over it,_ Naruto thought as he saw the Gems approach them, _I'll ask them if I decide to go with it._ "Morning," said Garnet as she looked at the two, "The others and I have talking and we believe that it would be quite helpful if Steven learned how to use chakra." This got a shocked look from Naruto and a look of excitement from Steven as it was coincidence and unexpected respectively. "You guys sure?" asked Naruto as Steven looked at the blonde expectantly with stars in his eyes. "Oh come on please!" Steven begged as he got on his knees, "It would be really cool to do all the stuff you can do! Please! Please! Pleeeeeeaaaaaase!"

**"Kit,"** said Kurama with annoyance in his voice, **"bring me out before his incessant begging makes my ears bleed!"** Naruto quickly brought out a Kurama-possessed clone as the clone looked at everyone as he rubbed his ear. "If you want Steven to learn a thing or two, then I'll help the kit in teaching Steven," said Kurama as he rubbed a knuckle against his shirt, "but he must do as I say when he's training with the kit." Kurama gave Steven a studying look as he said, "It shouldn't be too hard since Steven is about twelve so unlocking his chakra wouldn't be a problem. In fact, I was actually talking to Naruto about teaching Steven a couple of simple jutsus that will keep him safe and help him with tapping into his gem's power." Steven smiled excitedly as he then asked, "Could the others learn Naruto's cool jutsus as well?"

"I…I'm not sure if it's possible for them to learn how to use chakra," said Kurama as he crossed his arms thoughtfully, "In the shinobi world, age can greatly affect unlocking one's chakra for the first time. Children have the easiest time as their chakra coils, a system that allows chakra to travel through the body, are still undeveloped until the age of fourteen where the coils set permanently, meaning no possible hopes for a teenager to unlock their chakra." Pearl's eyes widened as she said, "That means we only have two years left until it's too late!"

"Plenty of time as Steven has others aside from Naruto and Kurama who have unlocked their chakra," said Garnet, getting a confused look from the others. "There are others?" asked Naruto as he wondered what his mentor was meaning. Garnet brought her hands to a hand seal as another Garnet appeared out of the blue. "How?" asked Kurama as he couldn't help but show his curiosity. "I link my mind with the energies of all existing matter and channeled the collected energy through my gems," Garnet explained while the other Garnet finished, "The first time resulted in unlocking my chakra and from there, I've trained in learning how to use that energy to provide a small boost to my skills."

"Impressive," said Kurama with a smirk, "but it will take more than just training to improve jutsus as one must train in chakra control to ensure that a shinobi won't be wasting chakra with just one jutsu." The possessed clone then looked at Steven as he said, "First though, we should unlock your chakra. Now, do as I do." Kurama sat cross legged and formed the tiger seal while Steven copied him. "Now focus your mind as you reach out to that power," said Kurama as Steven closed his eyes, "just relax and you'll know that you've found your chakra." Steven steadied his breathing as he tried to tap into his chakra and he knew that he didn't have a lot of time. He calmed his mind as he felt the wind in his curly hair while the sea breeze danced on his skin, giving him a chill.

"I've never seen Steven like this," said Pearl as she was surprised at how Steven was doing, "He's normally so energetic. I wonder what brought this out." Garnet smiled as she then said, "He wants to impress his brother." Amethyst looked at the older Gem and asked, "Brother?" Pearl and Amethyst looked to see Naruto watching with angst-filled nervousness in hopes that Steven might succeed. It sent a silent message, but the two saw the faith in Naruto's eyes as hope was filling them. Steven drew in a breath as he felt something warm in his gut and then…a warm burning and he was feeling more energized. "You did it Steven!" Naruto said as Steven opened his eyes to see the blonde's bright smile, "You unlocked your chakra!" Steven got to his feet in excitement as he could feel the invigorating energy inside of him. "Alright, this is so cool!" said Steven as he pumped his fist before he faced Naruto with stars in his eyes, "So when can I learn cool jutsus?"

"Hold it gaki," said Kurama as he got to his feet and dusted the sand off of him, "you may have unlocked your chakra, but you are nowhere near learning any of the jutsus besides Substitution and Henge until we see that you are ready." The possessed clone disappeared briefly before reappearing with small leaves in his hand. "The first thing you are going to is learn how to concentrate your chakra," Kurama said as he placed one of the leaves on his forehead and made it spin without even touching it, "The exercise I'm showing you helps you with concentrating your chakra by moving the leaf on your forehead using chakra alone. I'll supervise while Naruto works on his chakra control through his water walking exercises. Now get to work." The two nodded as they went off to their exercises with Kurama following them.

The Gems watched as Steven was focusing on the leaf on his forehead while Naruto was going through some stances that Garnet had shown him while standing on the water. "This is boring," said Amethyst as she placed a hand on her cheek as she watched the two before she saw Pearl walk towards where Naruto was, "Where are you going?" Naruto paused momentarily as he saw Pearl walk on the water towards him. "You can use chakra, too?" Naruto asked in shock as he had to regain his balance. Pearl nodded as she summoned her spear and asked, "Up for a quick spar?" Naruto smiled as he summoned his claws, sending a silent message to Pearl.

"Seriously?!" Amethyst asked in disbelief, "Even Pearl can use that chakra energy?! Am I the only one who doesn't know about this?!" Kurama then walked towards the purple Gem and said, "Apparently, but don't take it too hard as one of Naruto's friends couldn't even bring out his chakra." Amethyst looked at Kurama as Garnet decided to join Steven with the leaf exercise. "Rock Lee could never properly mold his chakra to learn jutsus," said the possessed clone as he watched the others train, "but he never let it get to him as he became an expert in taijutsu, or hand-to-hand combat, making him a force to be reckoned with next to his sensei and idol. Lee is proof that you don't need to have chakra to be a great shinobi or warrior as his spirit is fierce enough to let him smirk right at death's face and get out alive." Kurama chuckled at the memory of Lee's fight with Shukaku's jinchuriki as it was the most impressive fight against a jinchuriki the fox had ever seen; he just wished he had a video camera so that he could have recorded the look of mass confusion on Gaara's face as Lee was just running faster than the sand could keep up. _That was one hell of a fight,_ the possessed clone thought as he saw the leaf twitching on Steven's forehead.

Amethyst thought about what Kurama had said and smiled a bit at the demon's wisdom. She may not have unlocked her chakra, but if there was a shinobi from where Naruto was from that can fight without chakra, then she can become a great fighter as well. _I know that the others might me stronger than me,_ the Gem thought as she watched Pearl and Naruto's spar, _but Kurama is right, I can still be a great fighter without that silly chakra stuff…just like Lee._

***Konohagakure***

Lee was sparring with Tenten until he felt something odd. "You alright Lee?" Tenten asked with slight concern with a silent wish that her taijutsu-loving friend wouldn't begin ranting about Gai's teachings. "I cannot help but feel like someone out there is thinking about me…like a kindred spirit." Before Tenten could react, Lee had a huge smile on his face as he shouted, "I MUST TRAIN HARD ENOUGH SO THAT I MAY HAVE A CHANCE OF MEETING THIS PERSON!"

And just like that, Lee had suddenly just dashed off to train on his own and left his teammate to wonder what the hell had just happened. _Sometimes I suspect Lee is Gai-sensei's very own son,_ Neji thought as he practiced the katas of his Hyuga-style taijutsu, _No one person could look like another without being directly related in such a manner._ Gai however was just smiling in pride at Lee's enthusiasm as meeting this kindred spirit and hoped the best for his young apprentice.

***Beach City; Crystal Temple***

A few days had passed and the Gems' skills have improved greatly thanks to the additional training with their chakra while Amethyst's greatly improved her skills with her spars against the others save for Steven. Steven had actually improved quite a bit with Naruto's guidance on his chakra exercise as the young boy was now learning Substitution from the blonde. Naruto's own training had improved as well as even though he still needed a clone with forming the Rasengan, Naruto was able to briefly use a single hand for just a few seconds before the jutsu would just evaporate or weaken.

Naruto was laying on the sand taking a nice nap in his swimming trunks along with a pair of orange-tinted aviator sunglasses as he let the cool sea breeze dance around his bare skin. The blonde never noticed Pearl sitting next to him and silently observing him. _I can't believe how handsome he is,_ Pearl thought with a small bluish blush forming on her face, _He's almost like something out of a magazine._ The Gem studied the blonde's body before she saw the large circular scar near Naruto's right shoulder with a silent gasp. _That scar…_Pearl thought as a lump formed in her throat at the thought of what could have caused it, _He's incredibly lucky to have survived such a life-threatening injury._ With fearful curiosity, Pearl carefully reached to gently touch the scar with her heart pounding in her head. She had just touched it when Naruto jolted upwards in sudden shock.

Naruto's and Pearl's faces then collided suddenly with their lips touching in surprise. The accidental kiss lasted just a few seconds when to Naruto and Pearl it was hours before the two separated. "Um…uh…Pearl," said Naruto as he was trying to get his mind together, "wha…what are you…what are you doing here?" Pearl, trying to get her mind in order as well, swallowed a lump before she said, "I…I was just…just checking up on you when…when I noticed that…that scar." Naruto then looked to see the scar on his chest as his surprised face suddenly darkened. "This is the scar that I received during my fight with Sasuke," Naruto said melancholically with Pearl listening intently, "when he used a jutsu that our sensei had taught him…the Chidori." Naruto then went on to explain about how he along with a few others had gone after Sasuke to prevent him from defecting to Otogakure before explaining about his fight with the Uchiha and how fierce the battle was. "…it was then he shoved a Chidori right here," Naruto said as he carefully touched the scar before slightly twitching from the touch, "I can still feel the electricity from it today as this scar is still sensitive to the touch." Pearl looked at Naruto with sadness and awe as the blonde then showed a similar scar on his back…right at the same spot.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," said Pearl as she looked away ashamed, "I made you look back on a horrible memory when I should have left the scar alone." Naruto removed his sunglasses and gently placing a hand on Pearl's hand as he said, "You don't have anything to apologize for as I would have brought this scar's history up anyway." Pearl looked at Naruto and saw the shining blue eyes looking at her while the blonde saw beautiful diamond-like eyes sadly watching him. _Such beautiful eyes,_ the two thought as they were lost and were about to kiss when…

"Hey Pearl! Naruto!" Steven hollered as he ran across the sand while the two awkwardly looked away in embarrassment about nearly kissing each other. "Wh-What is it Steven?" Naruto asked as he reached for his shirt. "Amethyst wanted me to get you guys for a quick training session before Garnet returns from her mission," said Steven as he looked at Pearl and Naruto in confusion, "Did something happen." The two blushed as Pearl said, "We…we were just talking. R-Right, Naruto?" Naruto nodded as he buttoned up his shirt and said, "Y-Yeah. Come on, we better not let Amethyst wait too long."

The trio then headed towards the temple, unaware that Amethyst was looking at them through the window in Steven's room. "Dammit!" the Gem cursed as she looked away and entered the kitchen area, "It was so close to!"

"What was so close, Amethyst?" Garnet asked as she suddenly appeared, startling the purple Gem. "Well…" Amethyst said as she tried to think of something before giving up, "Pearl and Naruto were about to kiss each other." Garnet mentally smiled to herself as she wanted Naruto to try and get over his past along with Pearl try to admit her feelings towards the blonde. _Those two are getting closer to something great,_ Garnet thought as Pearl, Steven, and Naruto entered.

"What's up Garnet-sensei?" Naruto asked as he hung his sunglasses on the neck of his shirt. "I have a mission for you, Pearl, and Amethyst. I'll stay here with Steven for today." The three left after Garnet had told them what to do as it was just Garnet and Steven at the temple. "So what are we going to do today," Steven asked with excitement. "We are going to be doing some chakra training before working on your gem's power," said Garnet as the two headed out towards the beach for their training session.

**_Dream_**

_Garnet had found herself in a thick forest as the full moon brightly shone above the trees. "Pearl?" Garnet called out in hopes of finding her friends, "Amethyst? Steven? Naruto?" The woman walked through the forest while calling out for her friends until she faintly heard something in the distance…deeper into the forest. Garnet ran through the woods as she followed the echoing sound in hopes of finding its source. She ran until she found a small little shack in a small clearing. "Hello?" Garnet asked as she carefully approached the shack, "Is someone there?"_

_ A scream of pain erupted from the shack as the Crystal Gem quickly rushed inside and leapt down the stairs before running down the hall. _So much for this being a little shack,_ Garnet thought as she finally approached a large room where in the middle was a beautiful woman with long red hair and violet eyes resting on what looked like some sort of bed, out of breath and holding a small wrapped blanket. Next to the woman was a figure and even though she couldn't fully see it, Garnet immediately knew that the shadow was a man. "He's so beautiful…isn't he?" said the woman as the man peeked at the blanket with cerulean eyes. "Of course he is, Kushina," said the man before an alarmed look formed on his eyes, "I have to go now. I love you Kushina-chan." The man dashed away and even though she was a mere breath away, Garnet couldn't see any more than the man's bright blue eyes and a spiky silhouette on top of his head._

_ "Garnet," said a voice alerting said Gem, "Over here." Garnet looked to see the red-haired woman beckoning towards her. Garnet approached the bed-ridden woman with caution. "Hello, Garnet," said the woman with a weakened breath, "I see you are quite the strong woman…the perfect woman to care for my little maelstrom." Surprised, Garnet asked, "What are you talking about? What are you planning?" The woman handed Garnet the wrapped blanket before she bundled up a bunch of rags that were soaked with blood and body fluids to look like the the bundle in Garnet's arms. "I wish we could have been there more for him when he needs it…" said the woman as tears slowly formed in her eyes, "but please…care for my child…please take care of my maelstrom." Before Garnet could blink, a masked man appeared to snatch away the blanket before dashing out._

_ Garnet was stunned as the woman in the shack vanished which just left her and the wrapped blanket. The Crystal Gem then heard a small, familiar sound from the bundle and decided to carefully unwrapped the blanket. Garnet's three eyes widened with the candle lights reflecting off of them as all three eyes were focused on a little infant that had three whisker-like marks on its face with a mop of lightly damp blonde hair. "Na…Na…" said Garnet with shock as the infant open his eyes to reveal cerulean blue orbs looking at her, "Naruto?"_

_ Time slowed down as Garnet watched the small infant version of Naruto grab her fingers and began sucking on them cutely. Despite her frozen state, Garnet smiled at how adorable Naruto looked as an infant…just like Steven was when he was just an infant. "Hey there," said Garnet with a soft and gentle voice as she removed her fingers from the infant's mouth in favor of playfully teasing the baby Naruto's nose._

_ "Give him to me," said a new voice as Garnet looked around to find herself in complete darkness, "Give me the dobe!" Garnet protectively leaned the infant into her shoulder as she searched for the source of the voice, before finding two red eyes staring intently at her while taking occasional glances towards the infant. "Give me Naruto," ordered the eyes with three black commas spinning around in an orbit near the pupil, "NOW!" A small cry escaped from baby Naruto's mouth due to how loud the voice was. "I'll never let you have my baby!" Garnet growled as she tried to comfort the crying baby in her arms, "I'll never let you hurt my child!" The red eyes narrowed before the owner of those eyes stepped out of the darkness to reveal a teenaged boy with black hair wearing a blue shirt and tannish pants. "I'm only going to say this once more," the boy threatened as he held his hand towards the ground, "Give. Me. The baby…now!" Garnet sent a defiant sneer towards the boy as she stole a quick glance towards the boy's hand to see lightning form around it._

_ Garnet couldn't move in time as a blast of electricity struck her legs, making her fall to the ground. "Naruto?" the fallen Garnet asked as she searched for the infant before she heard the sound of crying, "Naruto!" Garnet looked to see a horrific sight, the boy from the darkness was holding the baby Naruto upside down by his ankle. "Put him down!" Garnet order as she tried to pull herself up before she saw the boy holding a lightning covered hand away while the darkness was somehow pulling the Gem away into the deeper shadows. "I will finally have my revenge!" said the boy as a maniacal grin formed on his face, "CHIDORI!"_

_ "NARUTOOOOOO!"_

**_Dream End_**

"NARUTO!" Garnet cried as she quickly jolted awake, nearly out of breath. The Crystal Gem looked around to find that she was still in her room…on her bed. "Just…a dream," Garnet said to herself as she tried to catch her breath, "a horrible _horrible_ dream." She rubbed a hand over her eyes as the dream played in her mind from walking through the forest to the boy…that boy killing a defenseless infant Naruto. Garnet got up from her bed wearing the pink nightgown as she walked towards the door.

The door opened to reveal that it was night as Naruto was curled up under the blanket on the couch. _Maybe I should let him try and find a room in the temple,_ Garnet thought to herself as she crept toward the couch as to not disturb the sleeping blonde, _he shouldn't be sleeping on this couch. It's not healthy._ Garnet then thought back to her dream as the woman from it had asked her to take care of Naruto as apparently the woman had died before her time, leaving the poor child without a mother. _I promise Kushina that I will take care of Naruto,_ Garnet thought as she carefully picked up the blonde in her arms lovingly before heading towards the temple part of their home, _I'll care for him as if he were my own little maelstrom._

**Now that Steven can use chakra, how will his adventures be affected with this new found knowledge? Will Garnet be able to be the mother that Naruto needs? Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne!**

**P.S.: Thank you all for stopping SOPA once more!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Naruto or Steven Universe.**

"Believe in Steven!" normal speech

_"Believe in Steven!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Believe in Steven!"** demon speech

Chapter 5: Frightful Birthday! Garnet to the Rescue!

***Beach City; Crystal Temple***

Naruto slowly opened his eyes as he woke up as he had an odd dream about a woman loving him like a mother after finding him in an abandoned alley. "Where am I?" Naruto asked as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes to find himself somewhere else instead of the living area he was sleeping at before. The blonde looked around until he saw a desk near the bed he was on with a small note. Naruto picked the noted up as it read:

_Naruto,_

_ I moved you to my room as I thought you should be sleeping in a bed instead of a couch for the rest of the night. I have already set out a fresh pair of clothes for you on the other counter near the bed. The others and I had to investigate a foul odor coming from Amethyst's room so I'll be back soon. You are welcome to use the training equipment in the room to improve with your skills. I have drawn a map that should lead you to Amethyst's room for you should you decide to join us. If not, just stay in my room until I come back._

_ Garnet_

Naruto saw the map and saw that there was just a simple path past the Burning Room before taking the stairs to Pearl's room where Naruto would just have to take the waterfall that ran into Amethyst's room. The blonde changed into the clothes that Garnet had set aside for him before venturing off towards Amethyst's room. It took traveling through a few other rooms, one was an actual forest with its own sky, before he reached a large room with spheres containing many different gems and other items. "A cage within a cage?" Naruto said to himself as he saw the carrier that had the two Geo Beetles, "Now that's just a bit excessive."

A loud wet pop was heard as Naruto looked around until he saw a small pool of lava right in the middle of the room. The blonde carefully approached the small pool to take a closer look until a bubble popped in front of him. "YEOW!" Naruto cried as he quickly turned away to shield his eyes before a tiny blob landed on the back of his shorts, setting them on fire, "YEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWW!" Naruto began to roll around on the floor in hopes of putting the fire out but the flames were growing. "Hot! Hot! Hot!" Naruto cried as he got to his feet and ran while trying to put the flames out with his hands, "My ass is on fire! My ass! Is! On! Fire!" Kurama sighed as he said to himself with a dark chuckle, **"Kit's got himself a pair of _hot_ pants. BWAHAHAHAHA!"** Naruto continued to run around in circles before running down a random hall with his shorts were still ablaze as he shouted, "THAT'S NOT FUNNY!"

In Amethyst's room, Steven had just left to prepare the many parties that the Gems had missed as Amethyst slowly crawled towards the lake in her room before dunking her head into the water to wash away the bile in her mouth. "Serves you right for eating a five-year- old tuna burrito," said Pearl as she shook her head in disappointment until a ball of fire slammed into the water. Amethyst quickly jumped away as she and the other Gems were ready for a fight when they saw Naruto swim up to the surface.

"Hey everyone," said Naruto as he swam to the shore, "finished already?" Garnet nodded as she said, "The odor was coming from a five-year-old burrito." Garnet saw the blonde before her cringe and had an idea of what consuming outdated food. "And Steven is also planning a huge birthday party to make up for the many birthdays that Garnet, Amethyst, and I have 'missed'," Pearl then added as she saw a confused look on Naruto's face, "We never celebrated birthdays as it was never a part of our way." Naruto's eyebrows rose in surprise as he said, "Really? You guys don't have birthdays?" Garnet nodded as she heard Naruto quietly say, "Better than having to live in fear on that 'special' day." Garnet was confused about Naruto's attitude about the idea of birthdays as she honestly thought the blonde would have jumped at the chance to throw a party for them. Garnet was about to say something when Pearl said, "Steven wants us to meet him on the beach so he can throw us a birthday party."

"Oh, uh…" Naruto said as he was thinking quickly, "I might not make it because…um…I have a few errands to run so I gotta run…like now." Pearl watched in confusion as Naruto climbed onto the shore and headed towards the door before a light blue hue formed on her cheeks and her eyes widened at what she saw. "I never imagined this place being so huge," said Naruto as he couldn't hear Amethyst holding her laughter, "It's so huge that it has its own wind current." Unable to contain her laughter, Amethyst fell to the floor laughing as the blonde then asked, "What's so funny?" Pearl's blush had deepened as she said, "Uh…Naruto, your shorts are…um…" Before Pearl could finish forming her sentence, Amethyst looked up and said, "You have a nice ass, Naruto! AWOOOOO!" Naruto blushed a bit before turning around to see that the fire had burned the back of his shorts and boxers to reveal his slightly charred rear. Naruto quickly turned around to hide the exposure and his face couldn't get any more red than it was before while he walked backwards away from the three GIRLS that saw his rear.

"I believe Naruto has a different view on birthdays," Garnet said as Pearl tried to calm herself from the sight she had just seen while Amethyst was still howling in laughter as she followed Naruto, "I heard him say that us not having birthdays were better than having to live in fear on a 'special' day." Both Gems had a good idea of how rough Naruto's life was after hearing about it from the very blonde, but they didn't recall him saying anything about special days. "Can I also ask you about something, Pearl?" Garnet asked as said Gem had a surprised look on her face. "Um…sure," said Pearl after regaining some of her composure as this was rare for Garnet to ask for advice, "What is it?"

"I need your advice on how to raise Naruto as a mother would," Garnet said bluntly. Pearl had a look of confusion as Garnet then told her about the feelings she had toward the blonde and then the dream she had. "You saw…some boy kill an infant after the infant's mother told you to care for him," Pearl asked in horror as the gruesome idea, "and that infant was Naruto? As in, our Naruto?" Garnet nodded as she suppressed a shiver before she asked, "What should I do?"

Pearl thought deeply before she said, "Well, we helped Greg raise Steven since Rose gave up her physical form so he could be born…but raising Naruto will be different since he was an orphan." The two heard Steven call out to them or they're going to miss all the fun from the party he had set up for them. "How about we talk about it later," Pearl suggested as she was kind of curious about what a birthday was. Garnet nodded, hiding her conflicted feelings about what to do with Naruto and how to be a mother to him as Amethyst had stopped her wild laughter with a few chuckles still escaping her mouth. _I hope we can come up with something,_ Garnet thought as she and Pearl headed out of the temple with the dream still on her mind, _I hope I never meet that boy from my dreams…_

***Konohagakure***

Sasuke was fixing himself some dinner when he sneezed. "Naruto…" the Uchiha thought darkly as he scowled. He had been stripped of his rank as a shinobi, had his chakra sealed after losing that Curse Mark Orochimaru had given him, and the villagers were not treating him as they should have but worst of all…worst of all he had been beaten by that dead-last who was now stronger than him and now more respected. All that stuff about Naruto being the Yondaime's son as well as the son of the most feared kunoichi in Konoha was a load of crap…but he knew that the dead-last had the Kyuubi sealed inside of him was true as many of the shinobi who had lived through the Kyuubi Attack and had witnessed the sealing had told him. That was power…power that was rightfully his and his alone.

Sasuke also knew that the Konoha 9 and the senseis were hiding something from him and Sakura. When he had asked, they refused to tell him through blatant lies about not knowing anything. He remembered learning about their little funeral for the dobe, but that only angered him as HE wanted to be the one to end the dobe's life. He knew that the funeral was a lie as he went to visit the grave after learning of its location, but saw that there was no grave! The Uchiha knew that the dobe was good at somehow pulling off the impossible and knew that Naruto had somehow faked his death to taunt him as well as flaunt his one victory over him. "I swear that I WILL find you, Naruto Uzumaki," Sasuke furiously growled as the ceramic cup broke in his grip, "and I WILL KILL YOU!"

Little did Sasuke or the ANBU watching him knew, a lone figure wearing a black cloak with red clouds was watching. "Foolish little brother," said Itachi with melancholy on his hidden face, "you are using your hatred for the wrong reasons." Itachi had to hold a cough in as he felt the disease slowly killing him and knew that his time was coming soon. His time was limited and his vision was starting to give way due to his use of the Mangekyo Sharingan, but he couldn't die…not yet. "Where ever you are, Naruto," Itachi said as he quietly left the village undetected, "I believe that you are the only hope for Sasuke to redeem our family's honor…I pray that you would be ready when the time comes."

***Beach City; Funland***

Naruto felt his scar suddenly act up as he was walking on the boardwalk, in a set of new shorts before leaving the temple, with a bag in hand as he headed towards the temple. Inside the bag was a gift for each of the Gems and Steven; even though it wasn't Steven's birthday and the Gems didn't really celebrate birthdays, the blonde felt obligated to at least get them something to show his gratitude towards them. He smiled as he stole a glance at the gifts he got for them and hoped that they were good enough after saving up the money he earned doing a some chores for the citizens. _It wasn't much,_ Naruto thought as he didn't notice the fog rolling in, _but hopefully it'll be enough._

"Hey, Naruto," said a screechy voiced teen wearing clothes similar to Steven's. _The hell?_ Naruto thought as he stole a glance towards the teen but he couldn't see anything due to how dark it was outside and the fog that rolled in unannounced, _Who was that and why is he wearing Steven's clothes?_ **"I don't know, Kit,"** said Kurama from inside Naruto's mind, **"but he shares a similar energy like Steven's. We should keep an eye on him."** Naruto followed the new teen into the arcade when he saw a small boy using a screwdriver to pop open one of the games and grabbed an armful of tickets. "Hey there what're you doing!" Naruto said loudly as the little boy looked at him before bolting deeper into the arcade. Narutoquickly summoned a Shadow Clone as Kurama possessed it and said, "Kurama, I need you to follow that guy wearing Steven's clothes. I need to stop that kid and get those tickets back!" The possessed clone nodded and said "I'll report back if I learn anything important from him."

Naruto ran through the arcade and looked down isle after isle in hopes of finding the little boy. _I can see why Garnet-sensei would say that arcade games were dangerous,_ Naruto thought as he squinted a bit through the bright lights, _these lights are burning my eyes._ The blonde continued to run until he bumped into someone. "Watch where you're going!" said a teen wearing orange pants and a blue hoodie. "Sorry," said Naruto as he got to his feet and helped the teen to his feet, "I was going after a small boy that had just stolen a bunch of tickets."

The teen let out a regretful sigh as he said, "That would be Onion…I swear that kid's father needs to try and find time for his son. Name's Sour Cream." Naruto shook Sour's hand and said, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. So the boy's father doesn't spend much time with him?" Sour placed his hands the his hoodie's pockets and said, "Onion's father is a sailor that is constantly out to sea and rarely stays no more than a few seconds before sailing off again." Naruto let out a sigh as he said, "Wow…I can't imagine what it's like as I never had any parents. I was an orphan where I'm from. He's lucky to _have_ a father…" Sour placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and said, "Sorry man; didn't mean to bring up any bad memories."

"It's cool," said Naruto until something hit him sharply on the back of his head. "ONION! NO!" said Sour as behind Naruto was the small boy who was attacking Naruto with a plastic bat. The teen wrestled the bat away from the little boy as Naruto held his head as even though the bat was plastic, getting clubbed in the head still hurts! "I'm very sorry, Naruto, and so is Onion," said Sour as he held on to the shirt tied around Onion's neck, "Right?" Onion scowled as he looked away from Naruto.

"Hey Onion," said Naruto with a threatening aura from his voice as it grabbed the little boy's attention. The boy then looked at the older blonde before him with slight fear as Naruto then crouched down just eye level with the boy. "I don't think your father would like hearing about his little son becoming a delinquent…" said Naruto with a stern face that could rival a Hyuga's, "…but consider yourself lucky that you have a father to wait for." Naruto stood back up and face Sour before he said, "I better get going, looks like it's getting pretty dark out." Sour nodded as it was indeed dark with fog rolling in and said, "It was nice meeting you and I'm sorry again about Onion."

Naruto was about to exit the arcade when a voice said, "Naruto." The blonde turned to see Onion standing before him. Naruto then saw the little boy walk up to him and hugged his legs as he then asked, "Brother?" The older blonde gently smiled as he gently rustled the little tuft of blonde hair on Onion's head and said, "Sure. I have to go now, but I need to go take care of something important first, but I'm sure you could use a good brother." Onion let go of Naruto's leg before the older blonde as Sour walked up and said, "He overheard that Naruto was an orphan, didn't you?" The little boy nodded as the two watched Naruto's shadow vanish into the fog. "Hey Onion," Sour asked the little boy, "How come you never talk to anyone else?" The teen never received an answer as Onion was somehow already gone.

Naruto was about to find the teen from earlier when Kurama reappeared in his mind and frantically said, **"Kit we have a big problem! You know that kid wearing Steven's clothes?!"** _Yeah, what about it?_ Naruto asked as if stating the obvious. **"That kid IS Steven!"** the fox said, shocking Naruto, **"I don't know what the hell happened to him, but he's rapidly aging! I thought nothing about it when he suddenly became a grown man, but while I was following him to the Big Doughnut, he was a middle-aged man and boy was really crotchety before Sadie chased him out. He was running towards the temple when I dispelled the clone!"** _Alright thanks,_ Naruto thought as hedecided to rush towards the temple in hopes that Steven would be alright, _don't let me be too late!_

***Crystal Temple***

Naruto had just arrived as the Gems were arguing amongst themselves, but his focus was suddenly on an elderly man wearing a red cape laying against Lion. "Steven…" Naruto said stared in fear as the elderly man was wearing the shirt that Steven had bought earlier and fell to his knees, "…no…" He couldn't believe what he was seeing…little Steven…his little brother…was there before him now as an ancient looking elderly man right at death's doorstep…all because Naruto couldn't stay for a stupid party! He couldn't hear Kurama's voice calling out to him, he couldn't hear the Gems talking to Steven…he couldn't even see the amber gems losing their luster or feel his body withering. _I'm…_Naruto thought as his bright blonde hair was starting to lose its shine and color, _I'm alone again…_

The Gems happily circled Steven as their lovable boy was back to normal save for a minor detail. "I thought I almost lost you!" Amethyst cried in joy as she buried her face in Steven's shoulder with tears staining the large shirt. Pearl wiped the tears out of her eye and she was about to ask where Naruto was before she saw a figure in the distance with Lion sniffing it. "Steven…" said the figure with a weak and raspy voice as the wrinkles became more prominent with its lifeless blue eyes staring at the sand…wait a minute…blue eyes?

"NARUTO!" Pearl screeched when she saw the square gem in the figure's arm…right where Naruto's was. Everyone looked in horror as they saw the withered form of Naruto on his knees and charged towards him. "Steven's…gone…" Naruto said as his skin was now greying and the amber gems on his arms possessing only a tiny little light in each of them, "…alone…once more…" Steven rushed in front and looked in the blonde's lifeless eyes and said, "Naruto, look! I'm alright see! I'm all better! Naruto…" Amethyst grabbed Naruto by his shoulders and said, "Naruto, you're not alone anymore remember?! Steven's still here with us and we're here with you! Don't do this to us too!"

"Naruto," said Pearl as she moved Naruto's withered face so that he could see her, "I…I…*sob*…I love you!" Tears were running down in gobs as Pearl continued, "Ever since I first saw you, I couldn't help but think about how handsome you looked with those whisker marks giving you that roguish charm! At first I thought it was just a silly crush, but when we had that accidental kiss…I felt my heart racing a mile a minute and my mind had blanked out. *sob* It was then I learned that I was truly in love with you as all I could think about was you!" Pearl desperately kissed Naruto's withered lips and pulled back only to see Naruto still turning grey as a few strands of hair fell out and turned to sand. "Please!" Pearl cried as she kissed Naruto again, making it deeper than before, before pulling back again, "Come back to us! Come back to me!"

Garnet stared in horror as fear had completely frozen her body at the sight of Naruto's condition. _This can't be happening! Not now!_ Garnet thought in panic as a few more strands fell of Naruto's head and turned to sand, _He's just a child…my little boy!_ Garnet's heart completely sank when Naruto weakly said, "Kaa…san…where…where are…you…" _I won't let it end like this!_ Garnet thought as she knew what must be done.

"Naruto!" said Garnet as she quickly wrapped Naruto into a tight hug, causing a few grains of sand to fall off his body, "Please don't go my baby boy! Kaa-san's here for you!" The others backed away a bit at what they had heard from Garnet. "Please…*sob*…please don't go!" Garnet continued as she mustered all the love she could into the hug, "Mama's here for you baby. *sob* Please to go my little baby boy…please…*sob*…please don't go!" Gobs of tears were rushing down Garnet's face as the Gem tore off her sunglasses to reveal her three eyes, tears flowing out each one of them. "Naruto, please stay with us!" Garnet continued to cry as she cradled Naruto's face into her shoulder with more sand falling off his body, "Please stay and be the boy we all love…stay and be Mama's little baby boy…her little maelstrom!"

The amber gems on Naruto's arms were about to flicker lifelessly when the withered limbs slowly began to move. Garnet's cries could still be heard as the withered arms were now wrapping themselves around her back, wrinkles slowly vanishing as Naruto's skin tone was returning. This caught all but Garnet's attention as Steven said, "Look!" The other two Gems saw the color returning to Naruto's skin and hair as the boy's body was beginning to return to its normal state. The nearly lifeless glow of the amber gems then erupted back to life and full luster in a brilliant golden glow as Naruto's body was now fully restored.

Garnet felt the sudden pressure on her back and looked to see Naruto's fully restored face looking back at her with love in the blonde shining blue eyes. "I'm back," said Naruto with a loving smile, "Mom." Garnet's heart soar to new heights as she and Naruto tightly hugged each other as both the amber gems and garnet gems were now glowing brightly in a beautiful fiery light, spreading a wave of loving warmth all around Beach City. _Welcome back Naruto,_ Pearl thought as tear of joy were now rolling down her face.

The radiating warmth faded away as Naruto and Garnet ended the hug with the blonde looking at the Gem's tear-stained face. "You…You have three eyes?" Naruto asked as Garnet nervously reeled back a bit, "That's pretty cool!" Garnet was shocked to hear Naruto say that about her having three eyes and even complimenting them. "Really?" Garnet asked in shock, "You really think that?" Naruto smiled as he said, "Of course, Mom, they're awesome! They're the coolest!" Garnet softly smiled as it was great to have her son in her arms safe and sound.

"NARUTO!" roared a familiar voice as everyone turned to see a Kurama-possessed clone looking angrily at Naruto. "Hey, Kurama," Naruto nervously said as he carefully moved out of Garnet's grip to face the possessed clone, "Sorry about the scare there." Kurama bared his teeth to reveal his elongated upper canines as the clone then began to strangle Naruto. "IF YOU EVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT AGAIN I'LL STRANGLE YOU ALL THE WAY TO THE DEEPEST PARTS OF HELL AND BACK AND EVEN THROUGH PURGATORY AS I ALMOST DIED AS WELL!" Kurama roared as he continued to strangle Naruto until Garnet managed to pry the clone off. After calming down, Kurama gave Naruto a glare as he crossed his arms and grumbled, "Brat better not do that again or I'm killing him myself."

Naruto chuckled as everything was back to the way things were with the added bonus of now having someone he could now call a mother. "Say Naruto," asked Amethyst as she held up a tied bag, "since you're not dying now, what do you have in the bag." Naruto chuckled as he actually forgot about that as he said, "How about we deal with that tomorrow as I'm sure that everyone's pretty tired after everything that had happened and…I'd like to spend some time with my new mother." Everyone smiled as Amethyst gave Naruto the bag before Garnet picked him up to where the blonde could rest his head on her shoulder. "That sounds like an excellent idea, son," said Garnet as she carried Naruto while she and the others entered the temple after having such a long and emotional day.

Garnet and Naruto had just entered the Gem's personal room as the Gem placed the blonde on the bed. "This has been some day hasn't it?" Garnet asked as she held her third eye closed as she sat next to her son. "Yeah," Naruto said tiredly as he set the bag near the desk, "one of the most craziest in my book, Mom." Garnet felt pride filling her heart as Naruto let out a tired yawn. "Looks like someone's tired," said Garnet with a gentle smile. "I know that Crystal Gems don't need to sleep," said Naruto as he looked at Garnet's reddened eyes, "but you could use some rest as well."

The two then laid down on the bed with Garnet hugging Naruto as the two slowly drifted off to sleep. "Goodnight, Kaa-san," said Naruto as sleep soon overtook him while he rubbed his head against Garnet's arm. "Goodnight," said Garnet as she kiss the back of Naruto's sun kissed hair lovingly, "my little maelstrom." The two had fallen asleep in peaceful bliss as tomorrow would be their first day as mother and son.

***Mount Myoboku***

Gamabunta was resting in one of the giant hot springs in the Toads' homeland in hopes of relaxing his nerves. It has been weeks since Naruto disappeared from the Elemental Countries and they couldn't reverse summon the brat because Naruto was too far away for the jutsu to work. The only way for the reverse summon to work where Naruto is would be for a toad to be summoned at that location, but even that is problematic as the Mini Minato may actually be in a place where chakra doesn't exist at all and the boy has bad chakra control as the farthest Naruto has ever gotten without the Kyuubi's aide were Gamabunta's own sons.

"Yo Pops," said Gamakichi as he and Gamatatsu joined their father in the hot springs. "Gamakichi, Gamatatsu," said Gamabunta with slight surprise, "what brings the two of you here?" Gamakichi shrugged his shoulders as he said, "I don't know what it was, but Gamatatsu and I felt a wave of loving warmth that sort of compelled us to join ya in a nice relaxing soak in the springs. It was a pretty powerful wave as it was even felt in Konoha." Gamabunta briefly remembered feeling that warmth as it made him feel proud in his sons as they were going to be great toads one day. "We know we don't say it much, but…" said Gamakichi as he and his brother then hugged their father's giant arm, "we love ya Dad." Gamabunta felt the warmth from his sons' hugs as he then said, "I love you both, my sons."

After the hug ended, Gamabunta leaned back as his two sons swam around the hot spring playfully. _I'm going to see if the Elders will allow me to send some scouts out to see where that warming energy came from,_ the giant toad thought as he felt the knots in his back vanish beneath the warm water, _but for now, I'm just going to spend some quality time with my sons._ The three toads then looked up into the sky and they all shared the same thought, _Naruto…wherever you are, we hope you are alright and living a nice happy life.  
_

**How will Naruto's life be like now that he has someone to call a mother and how will Garnet handle being a mother? Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own Naruto or Steven Universe.**

"Believe in Steven!" normal speech

_"Believe in Steven!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Believe in** **Steven!"** demon speech

Chapter 6: Fox in the Moss

***Beach City; Crystal Temple***

Naruto was sleeping on the bed by himself as Garnet walked in the room with a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice in her hands. "Naruto," said Garnet as she set Naruto's breakfast on the desk before gently shaking Naruto's shoulder, "Naruto, it's time to get up son." The blonde slowly woke as he looked at Garnet and said, "Morning, Kaa-san. Did you sleep well?" Garnet nodded as Naruto wrapped her in a loving hug as they both knew that they were mother and son in each other's eyes.

Naruto was eating the bowl of cereal when Garnet reached into the desk and pulled out a small box. "What's that?" Naruto asked as Garnet gave him a smile. "A gift," said the Gem as Naruto opened the box to reveal a dark red cloth with a small metal plate attached to it with a golden star-shaped gem in the center of the plate. It was a custom made hitai-ate just for Naruto as a feeling of awe rushed in the blonde's heart. "This…is for me?" Naruto asked surprised wonder in his eyes and voice. Garnet nodded and smiled as Naruto wrapped her in a hug, thanking her for the amazing gift. After Naruto had gotten his shower, he stepped out of the bathroom dressed in his normal attire with the addition of his new hitai-ate wrapped around his forehead. "How do I look?" Naruto asked as the star gleamed in the light. Garnet smiled as she took a hand and ruffled the blonde's hair lovingly as she said, "It looks perfect on you."

Outside Garnet's room, Pearl and Amethyst were sitting on the couch as Steven was in the bathroom to prepare for the day. "So…" Amethyst asked nervously, "what was it like…when you two accidentally kissed?" Pearl blushed a bit as she suddenly took interest in her twiddling thumbs before she said, "I…I can't really explain it. It was so sudden that my mind just…just froze and my heart was running like crazy! But after he told me about the massive scar on his chest…I…we…I wanted to kiss him again and it seemed that Naruto had the same feeling…at least until Steven called out to us." Amethyst raise an eyebrow in order to hide that she had seen them about to kiss when she had Steven get Pearl and Naruto. "You really felt that?" the purple Gem asked in curiosity before receiving a nod from Pearl.

"Yeah, but I couldn't help but notice something yesterday," said Pearl as she looked at Amethyst now, "You said that you thought that you almost lost Steven after that scare when his gem was making his age fluctuate wildly. Mind telling me what that was about? You have a crush on him?" Amethyst chuckled a bit and said, "I love Steven, but as a little brother; he's really fun to be around with and he has a way of cheering people up by just being who he is. Sure I mess with him sometimes, but I love and protect him like you guys do…I was just really frightened at what had happened yesterday that's all." Pearl couldn't argue with that as they all had quite the scare with Steven before that whole ordeal with Naruto; Steven was precious to them all as it seemed that the boy had kept them together as they had fallen apart so easily during that incident.

After Steven arrived ready for the day, the door that led into the temple opened up as Naruto and Garnet walking out with the blonde carrying the bad from yesterday. "Hey guys," said Naruto with a smile as he held his free hand to show the hitai-ate wrapped around his forehead, "check out what Mom got me!" Everyone looked and saw the new hitai-ate Naruto was sporting as Steven said, "Wow, that's so cool! Garnet really gave you that?" The blonde nodded as Amethyst said, "Now you're really rocking the Gem look. So what are you going to do about the other one?"

"I have it resting in Mom's room until we can find me a good room so we can move my stuff in," said Naruto as he set the bag in his hand on the floor, "I got some gifts for you guys yesterday." Naruto reached in the bag and pulled out a CD with wild dance music before giving the CD to Amethyst. "I know how you like to have fun with some of the pranks and dancing you do, so I got you some dance music for you," said Naruto as the purple Gem cheered as she looked at some of the music listed on the back.

"I know that it's not a real one," said Naruto as he pulled out a small foam sword and gave it to Steven, "but I think that you might actually like to have a sword to practice with if the Gems decide to allow you with a _real_ sword." Steven gave Naruto a big hug before taking the toy up to his room as Naruto then turned towards Pearl. "I got you a few small books on cultures from around the world, Pearl-chan," said Naruto as he gave Pearl three small books, "The book store was having a special 2-for-1 deal and I knew how much you loved to learn about the many cultures on Earth." Pearl smiled as she kissed Naruto on his whisker-marked cheek and said, "Thank you, Naruto! I can't wait to read them!"

Naruto then turned towards Garnet and said, "It was a bit hard to get something for you, Mom, as I wanted to show you how great of a teacher you've been to me." Naruto then pulled out a small framed photo as the picture showed Naruto and Garnet standing side by side. "But now that you're my mother," said the blonde as he handed the Gem the photo, "I guess that this might be a really good gift for you." Garnet smiled as she looked at the picture as it was just the two of them with Naruto taking a small glance up towards Garnet as he smiled. "I love it," said Garnet as she kneeled and hugged her son, "and I love you too, Naruto."

After putting their gifts away, everyone was on the beach training with Kurama teaching Steven his first jutsu, Substitution. "Since you have been showing some progress with chakra control, I'm going teach you how to perform Substitution," said Kurama as he motioned towards Amethyst, "Amethyst, I'm going to need you to give me a good punch to the gut for the demonstration." The purple Gem nodded as she ran towards the possessed clone and punched him…only to find out that she punched a piece of driftwood. "That is Substitution," said Kurama as he was now behind the Gems, "a basic jutsu that allows a quick and easy escape or a counter attack against your opponent." After showing Steven the hand seals needed for the jutsu, Kurama then placed pieces of driftwood and said, "You are to switch places with these pieces of driftwood until you start to get tired, but try and do it as quick as possible to work on your reflexes. Timing is key."

While Kurama was supervising Steven's training, Naruto was sparring with Amethyst while Pearl and Garnet practiced their stances. "I hope you're ready for this," said Amethyst as she summoned her whip and got into her fighting stance. "Bring it," said Naruto as he summoned his claws. The two stood still until Naruto decided to charge towards Amethyst as the Gem launched her attack. The blonde used his protected arm to catch the attack as the whip wrapped itself around his arm before grabbing it. Naruto gave the whip a quick jerk in hopes of disarming Amethyst, but the Gem held on tightly. It was a match of tug-of-war between the two until Amethyst jumped forward with added momentum from the released tension. Naruto had lost his balance and saw Amethyst jumping behind him before she began to spin. "Shouldn't we stop them?" Pearl asked as she watched Naruto fly around in the air. Garnet saw the blonde spinning faster and faster as she said, "Probably."

"I'm not feeling too well, Naruto," Amethyst said with a confident smirk as she spun around, "I think I'm going to HURL!" At that moment, the purple Gem had let go and made Naruto fly through the air as he screamed, "AAAAAAAMEEEEEEEEETHYYYYYYYSSSSSSSSSSSSTTT!" Kurama saw Naruto flying in the air as he sighed, knowing that the blonde is seriously going to get hurt without the fox to regulate the demonic chakra. "We're done for now," said the possessed clone, "Better go check on the kit." Steven saw Kurama disappear in a cloud of smoke before the others appeared. "Come on Steven, we have hurry!" said a panicked Pearl, "If my calculations are right, Naruto's going to land _there_!" Before Steven could ask, Garnet grabbed his hand as she and the others madly dashed towards where Naruto flew.

***Dead Man's Mouth***

Everyone arrived to a small lagoon that was surrounded by cliffs. "Where's Naruto?" Garnet asked with slight desperation in her voice. Pearl looked around until she saw dust and gravel falling off of a recently disturbed part of the cliff. "Let's see," said Pearl as she projected a holographic image of Naruto in the sky and moved it as she continued, "With further calculation, Naruto's flight would have had him land on that cliff over there before falling in there." A sound from underneath alerted the Gems as they looked to see Naruto pull himself out as he used a claw to swipe at the growing moss.

"Get off!" said Naruto as he cut the moss that was grabbing his leg before ripping off the moss that was still latching on. The others soon arrived to find Naruto getting to his feet as he held his shoulder. "My shoulder…" said Naruto as his claw vanished, "I think it's out of place. ENGH! Yep…out of place." Garnet moved behind Naruto and with a loud pop, she moved Naruto's shoulder back into place. "Better?" Garnet asked before she received a thumbs up from her son as he held a painful scream in.

"What is this stuff?" Steven asked as he approached the odd moss and he was about to touch it when Amethyst used her whip to pull Steven away. "It's the moss that Rose Quartz used to raise on the hill," said Garnet as she looked over Naruto while dusting him off. "My mom planted this stuff?" Steven asked as the moss slowly continued to grow. "Rose Quartz used to climb that hill every spring and tend to the moss at the top," said Pearl before she winced at the memory, "but now that Rose is…gone…the moss is on the move!"

"It's lost…" said Steven as he looked at the moss sadly. "It's not lost," said Amethyst with slight disgust rarely in her voice, "it's gross." Pearl let out a sigh and said, "Yes, but Rose loved it anyway. She saw the beauty in everything, no matter how gross." The Gem then moved her hand through her hair and with a nervous smile she said, "Fortunately, I know just what to do in this situation!" Naruto carefully moved his shoulder and said, "While you guys are taking care of this, I'm going to get us some pizza." Naruto was already gone before anyone could object, but not without Garnet noticing something off about the blonde. _Should I follow him,_ the Gem thought as she watch the shadow disappear in the distance, _or should I just let him be?_

***Fish Stew Pizza***

Naruto was walking by the restaurant when Kurama said, **"Why did you lie to them like that? You weren't even hungry."** _Force of habit, I guess,_ Naruto thought as he stopped and looked inside the restaurant where he saw Sour Cream with a couple of other teens with him enjoying some pizza. Kurama sighed as he had a feeling that Naruto was sympathizing with the moss and couldn't tell the blonde that the moss actually feeds of chakra…demonic chakra…almost like how the Shodaime's Mokuton bloodline suppresses it.

Naruto was about to leave when he saw Sour look at him and wave towards the blonde to join him and his friends. Naruto pointed to himself before the teen inside nodded as the blonde entered the restaurant. "Hey, Sour, Jenny," said Naruto as he sat at the table where the teens were, "what's up?" The girl sitting on the counter looked at Naruto and said, "Just chilling around, Sunny. In fact, Sour told us about how you're an orphan…is…is it true?" Naruto grabbed a seat as he said, "Well, once the papers are signed I'll actually have a mother." Naruto looked at the other teen that was wearing black jeans and a large, red jacket over a white shirt that had a lightning bolt in the center. "You're an orphan?" asked the new teen as an eyebrow rose from behind his sunglasses, "I've never seen you at any of the orphanages my dad visits."

"That's because I'm not actually around from here," said Naruto as a melancholic look formed on his face, "I was…kicked out of the orphanage where I'm from before I got kicked out of the city for some bull crap because I roughed up there golden boy…the teme." Jenny and Sour winced as Naruto had never told them about that part, just the orphan part. "Here," said Jenny as she moved the pizza pallet towards the blonde, "go ahead and have a slice. Oh before I forget, Naruto, this is Buck Dewey, the mayor's son." Naruto picked up the slice of the pizza and took a bite as he listened to the conversation while answering a few questions towards him.

Time had passed when Buck looked at Naruto and asked, "How did you meet Jenny? She told us about the time you first had pizza and devoured a whole pizza, fresh from the oven, by yourself." Naruto nervously chuckled and said, "Well…she was the one that saw me eat the pizza and we sort of talked after I drank almost a whole jug of cola." Jenny giggled as she said, "Yeah that was really funny. I still remember the look on your face when you took that first bite of the pepperoni pizza." Naruto smiled as he remembered actually thinking that pizza was now his favorite food right next to ramen. "You up for a swim?" Sour asked Naruto before the blonde nodded as he could use a bit of time off and hang out with other people.

Naruto and the others exited the restaurant and were about to head towards Jenny's family's car when Steven approached them. "Hey Naruto," said Steven as the group turned towards him, "how's your shoulder?" Naruto rolled his shoulder and said, "Doing find, Steven; I've always been a fast healer. I was about to join these guys for a swim." After the introductions between Steven and the other teens, Steven then asked, "Is it alright if Lars and I join you?" _That jerk?_ Naruto thought as he looked up to in fact see Lars near the pizza shop, desperately looking away, _Why do you hang out with him, Steven?_ "Sure, why not?" said Buck as he shrugged his shoulders. _Oh boy…_

Naruto and the others, along with an excited Steven and an annoyed Lars, were riding in the car before stopping where they saw Mayor Bill Dewey standing at a podium as he kissed a baby to convince the public to re-elect him. _He's definitely faking it,_ Naruto thought before the group drove away. "Hey Naruto," Steven asked as he noticed the necklace around the blonde's neck, "where did you get that necklace?" Lars saw the piece of jewelry and said, "Probably from his grandmother since it's so girly." Naruto wanted to smack Lars upside his head, but instead he said, "Well, she's not my real grandmother…but I did see her as one and she gave this to me after I nearly died saving her from a psychopath."

"You nearly died?" asked Sour as the car was now silent. "Yep," Naruto said as if what he was talking about was nothing, "and it wasn't the first…nor the last." Steven could feel the awkward tension in the air as Lars mentally scolded himself for looking like a jerk. "So Naruto…" Jenny asked as she tried to change the subject, "what was your grandmother like?" Naruto smiled a bit as he said, "Well Tsunade's not like your average sewing circle grannies. She's no pushover as she'll beat the crap out of anyone who messes with her and she's an amazing doctor." Everyone smiled a little to hear the blonde happily talk about the many people he knew from before and all of them, save for Steven, couldn't understand why people would kick out such a good and jolly person like Naruto.

The occupants of the car never noticed a red eagle following them from the sky. The eagle flapped its wings to reveal two garnets on the topside of the wings. _Please be careful, Naruto,_ Garnet thought as she continued to follow the car before she saw it turn to where that moss was, _oh no…_

***Dead Man's Mouth***

The group looked at the police tape and saw the ribbon that was right in the center of the barring tape. "We shouldn't be here," Steven said nervously before he saw Naruto rip the tape to allow the others to cross. Naruto was about to cross when he felt Steven grab his hand and said, "We can't go in there, the others are trying to figure out what to do with the moss!" Naruto looked behind him and said, "It's not the first time I've gone somewhere where I shouldn't have and the others might be heading to a different swimming hole."

"But what about Pearl, Naruto?" Steven asked desperately, "Don't you like her?" Naruto quickly looked around before he said, "I do like her, Steven, and I mean I could even say I love her! I've never told her because I wasn't sure if she liked me that way." Steven looked shocked as he asked, "You don't remember what Pearl said yesterday when...you know…" Naruto sighed and said, "All I remember when that happened was nothing but darkness until I heard Mom call out to me. Are you…are you saying that…that Pearl…" A nod from Steven answered Naruto's unfinished question as the blonde then said, "G-go on Steven…and tell Lars and the others I'll catch up in a little bit." Naruto ran into the nearby bushes and when he saw Steven chase after the other teens, the blonde pumped his fist in victory. "Woohoo! Yes! Yes! Yes!" Naruto quickly cheered with a huge smile on his face, "Pearl really likes me like that! She really loves me!"

"Of course, Naruto," said a voice that caused Naruto to freeze in fear in recognition of the voice. "Oh…uh…hey…Mom," said Naruto as he turned to see Garnet standing behind him with her arms crossed as her sunglasses shone with a scolding look, "what…what brings you here?" The blonde could tell that he was in deep trouble as Garnet approached him and said, "I thought you would know what the police tape would mean to NOT go in there. We still haven't thought of what to do with the moss." A scream was heard as Naruto and Garnet looked towards the location and knew that Steven and the others could be in trouble. "We'll talk about this later," said Garnet as she gave Naruto a stern look before the two of them dashed away.

The two of them arrived to finds Steven and Lars sitting near the water where the moss was moving around like sharks. "Steven!" said Garnet as she and Naruto approached the two, "What happened?" Steven looked to see Garnet and said, "The moss Mom had planted sucked the others in when they jumped in!" The three other teens appeared out of the water, covered in moss, and walked towards the shore before collapsing. "We have to help them!" said Steven as he, Lars, and Garnet went to help them by trying to rip the moss off of the teens. Naruto was about to join when Kurama said, **"Wait Kit, that moss feeds off of life energy and chakra; you are a walking buffet table for even Kami itself with me seal inside you!"** _But what are we supposed to do, let them die?!_ Naruto thought when as he tried to think of something.

"I think I know what to do," said Steven as he took a glance at the hill before Lars interrupted him. "This is all your fault!" Lars said angrily as he looked at Steven, "I knew that if something went wrong today, it would be because of YOU! Now I'm never going to be friends with these guys all because of your weird mom!" Steven was silent for a moment, which actually scared Lars a bit, before he angrily countered, "What do you know about my mom! I didn't even get to know my mom!" Lars stepped back a bit as Steven continued, "But I do know she saw beauty in everything, even in stuff like this and even in jerks like YOU!" Lars looked away guiltily as Steven calmly said, "Now help me get into the car."

"I have a better idea," Naruto said as he approached the fallen teens, "It's crazy and incredibly stupid…but it's faster than just driving up to the hill. Get…back…NOW!" Steven and Lars complied as Kurama said, **"No Kit, I'm not going to let yourself get killed like that! That thing will eat you like an Akimichi would eat barbeque chips, down to the last bite!"** _I know,_ Naruto thought as he focused his chakra, _but you do owe me rent._ Kurama sighed as he knew there was no talking Naruto out of this as he said, **"Fine, but it'll only be enough to draw the moss's attention on you as you'll be in the One-Tailed State…just don't get caught."**

Garnet, Steven, and Lars watched in amaze as some odd, red ooze slowly covered Naruto's body before the blonde crouched down on all fours with the ooze forming a fox-shaped cloak. **"Hey moss!"** said Naruto with a different tone in his voice, **"dinner time."** The moss began shaking wildly and let go of Sour, Jenny, and Buck in favor of the shrouded Naruto. The blonde jumped onto the water as the moss began to chase after him and knew that his plan was going as planned for the moment. "Ugh, what happened?" asked Jenny as she and the others slowly regained conscious. "I think I died," said Sour before he saw Naruto dodging the moss, "What the hell?! Is…is that Naruto?!"

**"Garnet-sensei! Steven!"** said Naruto as he quickly climbed the cliff side, **"Get everyone out of here while I take this to the hill!"** The blonde flared his chakra to get the moss to follow him as Naruto ran towards the hill. Garnet and the others ran towards the car as Lars said, "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT GUY?! NO NORMAL PERSON CAN DO THAT!" After everyone got in the car, Jenny spun the car around and drove toward the hill that Naruto was heading towards. "Mind telling how one of my family's favorite customers just suddenly creates oozing red energy from his body?" Jenny asked as she drove through the curve, nearly hitting a semi. "It's a long story that is not really mine to say," said Garnet as she held on, "but my boy is special and he was banished from his last home because people saw him as a threat and a monster." Everyone kept quiet and knew that there was going to be a very long talk with the blonde once this madness was over.

With Naruto, the blonde was running through the fields with the moss following him from behind. **"Come on now,"** Naruto taunted as he slowed down a bit, **"I thought demon chakra was your favorite."** Naruto sped back up before the moss could slam onto him and the blonde had made it to the base of the hill when the moss had managed to grab his ankle. **"Hurry Kit!"** Kurama shouted, **"I'm not sure how long the cloak's going to last with that moss clinging on!"** Naruto slashed the moss to free himself, but he felt it grabbing on to his shoulders as the blonde turned towards the top of the hill. _Have to make it,_ Naruto thought as he used his clawed hands to pull himself up the hill with the moss still latching onto him,_ I'm almost there._ Naruto could feel the cloak fading and his energy being sapped away as he heard the sound of a car stopping. "NARUTO!" everyone shouted as the approached the blonde, but were still wary of the moss. Garnet rushed towards Naruto's side as the cloak surrounding the blonde had completely vanished with the moss slowly enveloping him.

"Hang in there Naruto!" said Garnet as she tried to pull the moss off but was stopped by Naruto's voice. "Sorry about doing this, Mom, but since this feeds of chakra and energy I had to lure it here with Kurama's demonic chakra. Can you tell Pearl that I love her…and that I'm sorry." The moss had fully covered Naruto as Garnet froze at the sight before her. "It wasn't even a day," said Garnet as the others carefully approached from behind, "and I lost him…my baby boy." Jenny covered her eyes and hid her face in Sour's shoulder as the teen comforted her. _Damn,_ Buck thought as he saw that Garnet must have been the 'mother' Naruto was talking about, _what a way to go…and in front of your mother too._

The clouds parted and light shone onto the moss covered Naruto as everyone sadly watched the display. Steven looked at the fallen teen before he saw flowers blooming from the moss and said, "Hey guys…look!" Everyone saw the moss turn into pink flowers and get carried away by the wind, leaving Naruto behind on the ground. The blonde suddenly awoke, gasping for breath, and went into a coughing fit. "Never…*gasp* guh *gasp*…never doing that again," said Naruto as he caught his breath, "…ever." The blonde looked in the sky to see flower blossoms floating in the air as he heard Steven saying that the moss was actually trying to bloom.

"Naruto!" said Garnet as she hugged the blonde, "I thought I lost you again. Don't you ever scare me like that again!" Naruto returned the hug as he said, "I'm sorry, Mom. Looks like I owe everyone an apology…and an explanation." Naruto and Garnet watched the beautiful scene before them as Sour, Jenny, and Buck were 'raving' to the beauty until Naruto said, "I'm still in trouble, aren't I?" Garnet continued to watch the flowers float by as she said, "Yes…you are."

_Figures…_

***Konohagakure***

Tsunade was sitting in her office and she was looking out the window in thought of her favorite little brat. _Naruto,_ the Hokage thought as she stared off into the distance, _I know that you are still alive out there, but I am still praying that you are in safe hands._ Tsunade was about to return to her work when she saw something floating around towards the window. The Hokage opened the window to see a small pink flower with what looked like a pink gem, a rose quartz in fact, right in the center holding the petals. "What a peculiar flower," Tsunade thought as she examined the blossom, "I can feel chakra from it...wait a minute...this is Naruto's chakra!" Tsunade would have begun going into a panic attack were it not for the gem shining an odd golden color that seemed to comfort her. "Naruto," Tsunade said as she placed the flower in her hair, "thank you for reassuring me of your safety. I'm so proud of you."

**Naruto and his crazy luck. Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own Naruto or Steven Universe.**

"Believe in Steven!" normal speech

_"Believe in Steven!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Believe in Steven!"** demon speech

Chapter 7: Meeting the Lions

***Konohagakure***

Tsunade and Jiraiya were looking over Sasuke's scratched hitai-ate as one of the ANBU assigned in watching the Uchiha had reported that the hitai-ate was humming while the scratch marks glowed a light red for some reason. "Do you think it was reacting to the Kyuubi's chakra?" Tsunade asked her old teammate. "It might be," said Jiraiya as he examined the scratch on the metal plate, "Naruto must have scratched Sasuke's hitai-ate while using the fox's chakra, somehow infusing a non-lethal amount into the mark. Naruto must have used the Kyuubi's chakra somewhere out there when the ANBU reported it a few days ago."

"Is it possible to use Sasuke's hitai-ate to find Naruto?" Tsunade then asked as she eyed the scratch with ironic hope. The Toad Sage sighed as he then said, "Unless you create a tracking jutsu powerful enough to go beyond the Elemental Countries or a nose that is far sharper than an Inuzuka's, then no…I'm sorry Hime." The woman sighed as she scrapped that idea before another appeared in her mind as she asked, "What about dowsing?" Jiraiya let out another sigh as he said, "I have thought of that old technique but I really don't know how it works and even if we knew how to apply this, we really can't risk giving ourselves false hope. I'm even wishing that the Bloodline War in Kiri had never happened as there might have been a clan who specialized in this type of tracking to even use it as a jutsu."

"Do the Toads have any idea?" Tsunade asked before Jiraiya brought his hand in a thinking pose. "The Toads have told me that they are investigating that huge wave of warmth that was felt the evening before Sasuke's hitai-ate was brought to our attention," Jiraiya said as he remembered talking to Gamakitchi about it, "All they know is that the wave originated from somewhere outside the Elemental Countries. They're investigating it even as we speak." _Not a lot of progress,_ Tsunade mentally scowled as her little gaki was getting farther and farther away from her, _Naruto…where are you?_

Little did either Sannin realized, Sakura had overheard their conversation before quickly bolting out of the tower. _Naruto's alive?! I can't believe it!_ Sakura thought as she nearly bowled over a genin team while dashing out of the door, _But why would Lady Hokage and Master Jiraiya keep this from everyone? Do the others even know?_ As she thought about it, the rosette realized that the others did know something as they would act all weird when Naruto would be mentioned in the conversations Sakura would hear. _Why would they keep this from me and Sasuke-kun?_ Sakura thought as she continued to run, _I understand why Sasuke, he wants to kill Naruto, but why me? All I want to do is apologize to Naruto for what I've done to him for just keeping to his promise._

_ Dowsing,_ Sakura then thought as she remembered what Jiraiya and Tsunade were talking about, _maybe I can find something in the library to help me._ Sakura then ran towards one of the libraries in hopes of finding something that will get her closer to Naruto. _I know I do not deserve it, not after what I did to you,_ Sakura thought as she found the library and entered, _but I want to at least be able to apologize to you for what I have done…_

***Beach City; Crystal Temple***

Naruto was sweeping around in the temple as a part of his punishment from Garnet. _The others are training on their ninja skills with Kurama and I'm stuck in here cleaning the temple for the next two weeks,_ Naruto thought as he swept by the portal, _I'd rather be spanked than doing this menial crap…I can't even go on missions with them._ The blonde sighed as he dumped contents of the dust pan into the garbage as he still had more to do apart from sweeping.

_I still can't believe how well Sour Cream and the others took learning the truth about me,_ Naruto thought as he remembered when he told the whole truth about him to the three teens, including Lars. The blonde was honestly expecting them to reject him for not only lying to them like that but holding an actual demon inside of him, but to Naruto's surprise they accepted him and said that the people who had banished him were idiots for not seeing the person that Naruto is. _It's really nice to see that there are people who can see me instead of Kurama,_ Naruto thought happily as he continued working on the chores around the temple.

Outside, the other Gems were working on chakra control while Amethyst continued with her own training. "Say Kurama," Steven asked the possessed clone as he worked on the leaf exercise, "why are we learning chakra control? Can't we just use the jutsus without it." Kurama sighed and said, "You are learning chakra control so that the jutsus you learn will be more effective as you gain a better control of how much chakra to use and how to properly manipulate chakra. Such jutsus that require acute chakra control would range from genjutsu to medical jutsus, and even the Summoning Jutsu."

"Summoning?" Steven then asked as Lion was watching from nearby. Kurama nodded as he continued, "Yes, with the Summoning Jutsu, one can summon animals and creatures to help them in either combat or even tracking. The amount of chakra you use can determine what you can summon, but that requires a lot of chakra control." Pearl looked over and asked, "Can Naruto summon?" The possessed clone nodded and said, "Yes, he has signed the Summoning Contract with the Toads and the largest the kit has summoned was the Boss Summon, Gamabunta, but that was with only my help." Amethyst stopped her training and asked, "Are there other animals that could be summoned?"

Kurama nodded again before he saw something in the distance as the others turned to see a large lion with silver fur wearing armor similar to a samurai's. The lion looked up and its eyes widened before rushing towards the group. "Get ready," said Garnet but was surprised when Lion appeared in front of them, causing the armored lion to stop before him. "My Prince…is that really you?" asked the lion, shocking everyone with its voice, "It is! It really is you! The Pride King will be filled with such joy!"

"Okay," said Amethyst as she watched the armored lion jump around happily, "what's going on and why are you talking?" The armored lion looked at the group with a small embarrassed blush and said, "Ah, forgive me as it has been years since anyone has seen the Pride King's son. I am Yukan, one of the many Lion Summons and I was sent out here to investigate a strange wave of loving warmth that originated from here some days ago." Everyone was surprised to see a Lion Summon right before them as Steven then asked, "You called Lion a prince, right? What happened?" Yukan looked at Steven before he said, "Well I think that it would be best if the Pride King himself told you of how he was separated from his son years ago as I understand that you were the ones to have found him, right?" Lion moved his muzzle against Steven's face as the other lion saw the answer with a small smirk.

"Oh and do not forget the young jinchuriki either," said Yukan, getting a surprised look from Kurama. "How did you know about the kit?" the possessed clone asked with caution. "It's actually quite obvious to know that there is a jinchuriki nearby," said the lion as if it was everyday trivia, "No demon would ever leave a mortal to handle such violent chakra on their own without being nearby. But do not worry as we Lions greatly respect the jichuriki for being able to hold in such great beasts such as yourself, Kyuubi." Kurama disappeared in a cloud of smoke before Naruto ran out to meet the lion. "Everyone here?" asked Yukan, getting a nod from everyone, "Alright here we go. Reverse Summoning Jutsu!" The group soon vanished in a large cloud of smoke as their guide was now taking them to the Lion Summons' homeland.

***Idai Taiyo Castle***

The group soon arrived in a wooded area where a large castle made of solid stone stood erect in the middle. "Welcome to our home, Idai Taiyo Castle," said Yukan as the group stared in awe of the beauty, "The Great Sun Castle." The silver lion led the group towards the castle gates where two golden lions that were twice as large as Yukan stood on either side of the gate. The gate itself had two lion designs standing on their hind legs and were roaring towards a sun with a lion's face inside, making the flames of the sun look like the lion's mane.

"Halt!" roared the lion on the left as the lion on the right then said, "State your business for entering our beloved Castle of the Sun." Yukan stood before the two and said, "Azuma no Shishi, Nishi no Shishi, I, Yukan, have returned from my mission from the Pride King, Okina Yama, to investigate the origin of the wave of energy with great news! I have found his son!" The two giant lions looked at each other before leaning towards Lion and sniffed him. "By the Sun Gods he's right!" said the lion on the left before he and the lion on the right turned towards the gate and let out a mighty roar that echoed through the forest.

The gates slowly opened to reveal a large group of lions, ranging from small cubs to battle scarred adult lions, at two different sides and watched with surprise as Yukan led the group towards the castle. The Gems looked around in awe at the sheer number of lions surrounding them as their voices were heard.

"No way," one lion said with surprise, "it's the lost prince!"

"The Pride King will surely be proud to finally reunite with his son!"

"Are those the Crystal Gems?"

"And a jinchuriki too!"

"The little cub next to the prince is kind of cute too."

The group reached inside the castle as the door closed behind them when a lion with mud brown fur and mane wearing spiked shields and a kilt approached them. "I heard ye found the prince, Yukan," said the lion with a Scottish accent as the group saw the multiple scars on its body. "Indeed, Chimamire," said Yukan, "I shall ask you of your latest scars on a later day." The lion bowed as he said, "May the Sun Gods be with ye." The grouped journeyed down the halls when Steven asked, "Who was that?" Yukan gave the boy a glance as he said, "That was Chimamire, one of the most strongest Lions here, save for the Pride King of course, and is the instructor for the cubs who are to aide our summoners. You will never find a more ferocious warrior like Chimamire as he has fought many battles, but due to the lack of summoners since the Senju cub, Chimamire has been looking for a good fight as the cubs are still too naïve and without a summoner, they will never taste the thrill of a real battle."

"Senju," Naruto asked as he remembered Tsunade's grandfather, "as in, the Shodaime?" Yukan looked at the blonde and said, "Indeed, Hashirama was actually our previous summoner before his death. We had even helped the cub with his Mokuton abilities by providing him the knowledge of Nature Chakra." Pearl walked up towards Yukan and asked, "What happened after Hashirama had died?" Yukan grew silent before he said, "The Pride King and his family visited the village to collect the Summoning Contract as well as find one who would be worthy of signing the contract, but we had met a vile man by the name of Danzo who attacked him in hopes of discovering some the secrets our people possessed. It was then that Pride King was separated from his son when the cub tried to perform the Reverse Summoning Jutsu on his own. In revenge of the attack, the Pride King had torn out the man's right eye and arm, severely injured him while declaring that the Lions shall never have such vile creatures as their summoners. We had eventual lost interest in Konoha after witnessing the aftermath of the Kyuubi Incident as those fool could not see the hero that they were harming. They do not respect jinchuriki like we do and many of them are so vile as to use their own children to harm the very hero against the wishes of his father."

"You're talking about me, aren't you?" Naruto said with realization, "Do you know who my parents are?" Yukan nodded and said, "Indeed and for those fools to not see the obvious before them as your father was the very man who sealed the Kyuubi inside of you." Naruto froze at that realization as he connected the dots at one of the greatest mysteries of his life. _The Yondaime…is my father,_ Naruto thought before feeling his legs give way as Pearl and Garnet caught him. "I take it you were never told," said Yukan before shaking his head, "While I do understand because of the numerous enemies your father has, I cannot believe that you were not under better protection in the care of those who knew your father."

The group soon entered a giant room where other lions and lionesses were walking around. "Please wait here while I speak with the Pride King," said Yukan as he motioned to one of the nearby tables that had food stacked on it, "You are welcome to enjoy our food and drink; the servants will bring you appropriate drinks for the jinchuriki and the prince's friend." At that moment, Yukan headed towards a giant door that opened before him and then closed as the silver lion entered. As Amethyst and Steven dug into the steaks and hams on the table, Pearl and Garnet looked to see Naruto lightly stabbing the small steak with his fork as a distant look of melancholy was visible on his face. "Are you alright, Naruto?" Pearl asked with concern in her voice as she gently placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"In all honesty," said Naruto as he then let the pronged tips of the fork slide on the surface of the steak, "…no, I'm not alright." The blonde then gripped the utensil tightly as he continued, "First it was kept secret about me being a jinchuriki and now I'm JUST learning that my dad is not only the Yondaime Hokage, but the one responsible for all the crap that I've been through! This is complete BULL!" Naruto harshly stabbed the fork into the steak, causing a loud clang to echo in the room. "Now that I know who my father was," said Naruto as he held his hands against his covered forehead, "I'm questioning why now. Didn't he love me? Was my birth just convenient enough to allow him to seal Kurama inside me? Now I'm starting to wish I hadn't learned who my father was."

"Sounds like the laddie needs a good ol' fashion thrashin'," said a familiar voice as everyone turned to see the lion from earlier. "Chimamire," said Pearl in shock at what the lion proposed, "you can't be serious about having Naruto fight you?!" Chimamire nodded and said, "That's one of our many traditions, lassie: if we have a problem on our mind that be bugging us, we fight it out. Now we are not without diplomacy or civil attitude, it's just our way to literally beat some of our major problems with ourselves both socially and mentally." The lion then faced Naruto and said, "So what do ya say, laddie: up for a little match against the feared Bloody Mess?" Everyone looked at Naruto as the blonde was silent for a moment before he said, "Sure."

Yukan soon returned and said, "The Pride King wishes to speak with the boy who has found his son as well as a guardian of his choice." Steven, Pearl, and Lion walked towards the silver lion before Steven turned to face Naruto and said, "I hope you'll be alright Naruto after the fight." The blonde gave Steven a thumbs up and said, "I've face impossible odds before, so this will be a cake walk." The large doors closed after Steven and Lion entered the room while Chimamire led Naruto and the Gems through the halls.

The group walked until they reached a small training hall where lion cubs and adolescent lions were striking wooden dummies or each other with their paws. "CLEAR THE PIT!" roared Chimamire as the lions quickly cleared the area as Chimamire led Naruto to the center after motioning the Gems to stay on the sidelines. "The rules are simple, laddie," said Chimamire as he took a stance, "Use whatever ye like, weapons, jutsus, even yer jinchuriki powers as the only thing not allowed is killing." Naruto nodded as he summoned his claws, getting a lot of whispers from the crowd.

"He's a jinchuriki AND a Crystal Gem?!"

"Those claws look sharp enough to rip flesh into shreds!"

"20 hams say that the jinchuriki gets whipped by Chimamire."

"I'll bet 35 hams that Chimamire barely gets a scratch."

"This is quite interesting," said a voice as the Gems turned to see a lioness with Egyptian blue fur and wearing a mask of a soft faced woman, "it has been years since we have seen a Crystal Gem fight Chimamire…let alone a human." The lioness sat next to Garnet as she then said, "I am Kagayaku Hana, one of the Sphinxes of our tribe. I assure you that Chimamire won't kill the cub, he's too special and I am surprised that the Toads are still with him even after he was banished." Surprised, Amethyst asked, "How do you know about Naruto and his banishment?" Kagayaku Hana chuckled as she said, "While we are not aligned with any village at the moment, we are still friends with other summons such as the Toads and Slugs. We share what we know of about our summoners and of their village, but we still keep a few things discreet from our own allies. It's just a policy, child. Plus, we have our own ways as well."

"So, Kagayaku," Garnet asked, "I know about the mythical sphinx, but could you tell me what a Sphinx is to the Lion Summons?" Kagayaku was silent for a second before she said, "The Sphinxes are what humans would call, High Priestesses or Bishops, and while our power is great, our wisdom is far greater than any mere mortal. We prefer to use our talents in jutsus and magic than brute force…but we are also not afraid to get our paws dirty should the time arise." Amethyst raised an eyebrow and asked, "So you guys are like sages or something?" Kagayaku chuckled as she then said, "Yes child, and should the boy sign the contract, he will be given a familiar and once the boy is ready, he will learn about our tribe's Sage Mode. But for now, let us watch the fight against Chimamire and the jinchuriki."

Naruto and Chimamire were staring each other down until the lion charged towards Naruto with a might swipe. Naruto dove to the side to avoid the attack before going in for a punch until Chimamire pushed himself onto his hind legs. Naruto only had enough time to cross his arms as the lion them slammed his front paws onto the blonde with enough force to cause Naruto to buckle down onto one knee. Thinking quickly, Naruto leaned back as he planted his feet onto Chimamire's belly before tossing the lion behind him. The lion crashed onto the floor and shook the dust off his fur as he got to his paws. "Hope ya got better moves than that, laddie," said Chimamire as he slowly circled the blonde before him. Naruto brought his hands to a hand seal as he said, "I've got more where that came from! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

_Shadow Clones,_ Chimamire thought as many Narutos soon appeared in the arena, _far more advanced than any mere genin would know, but then again the amount of chakra the lad's got is even beyond than that of a jonin's, mabey even close to a Kage's._ The duplicates rushed towards Chimamire as the lion smirked. "I don't know whether 'r not to call ya brave 'r foolish to blindly charge a lion armed with an ax," said the lion as a large battle ax soon appeared on the lion's back before Chimamire's tail grabbed it and swing the weapon, slicing a few clones in twain, "but I'll just let the ax do the talkin'." The rest of the Narutos had jumped back and tried to find an opening until one said, "Let see you try this! Gem Style: Crystal Needles!" That Naruto launched some of the spikes from his claws towards Chimamire, but they were deflected by the lion's ax and shield. A few of the clones then rushed in by either jumping or sliding as Chimamire said, "Making yer opponent choose which way to attack…clever, but not clever enough. Wind Style: Sonic Roar Jutsu!" The lion puffed out his chest before letting out a loud roar that was powerful enough to stop the Narutos in their tracks and dispelled them at once, revealing the real Naruto getting launched backwards from the attack. _My head feels like it's being split open!_ Naruto thought as he held his head from not only all of his clones dispelling at once, but the ringing in his ears was deafening.

"How did you like that, laddie?" asked Chimamire as he slowly approached the downed Naruto, "We Lions aren't limited to just brutal combat; we know a few fancy jutsus such as the Fire 'n Earth styles." Chimamire was now standing over the blonde and held his large paw against the blonde's throat, putting slight pressure on it, and said, "I believe that I am the victor here, laddie." Naruto looked at the lion and gave him a smirk, confusing Chimamire before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. "Bloody Hell!" said Chimamire as he heard the sound of chakra forming behind him as he turned to see two Naruto holding a sphere made of chakra rushing towards him. "You should never underestimate your opponent, even after you win!" said Naruto as his clone vanished while the original slammed the sphere into one of the spiked shields on Chimamire's side, "Rasengan!" Chimamire couldn't move in time as the sphere had somehow tore through the shield and was now tearing into him before launching him violently into a stone wall.

Everyone present was completely dumbfounded as Chimamire was tossed violently by a human after years of no contact with one. The dust cleared to show the lion on his stomach as a fresh wound on his side was bleeding. "Damn," said Chimamire as he slowly got to his paws, "that felt like getting thrashed by the Pride King in a twister! You've got quite the fight on ya, laddie. I can see why the Pride King had once wanted you as our summoner as you've got a Lion's Heart. I guess I'll let you have this one, but next time won't be so easy laddie." Naruto watched in anticipation as Chimamire slowly limped towards him. "You should probably wait to be treated," said Naruto before getting a hearty laugh from the lion. "It's alright, laddie," said Chimamire with slight laboring in his breath, "we Lions take great pride in our battle scars as each one of 'em tells a story behind each one. Besides, it'll have to take _more_ than that fancy sphere jutsu to kill me." The injured lion gave Naruto a confident smirk before he roared, "HAMS AN' DRINKS 'R ON ME!" The blonde relaxed as his claws vanished, but he couldn't help but still think about what his father had done to him. It did actually feel nice to let out some steam before he might have done something stupid.

Steven, Pearl, and Lion appeared inside of a large room that could hold almost all of Beach City! "Whoa," said Steven as he looked around in awe until he saw a lion that was larger even than the two lions at the front gates combined; this lion was HUGE! The lion's fur was a bright red while it's mane was a combination of red, orange, and yellow, giving it the appearance of a walking sun. "So you are the one who have found my son," said the lion with a deep voice, "I would like to know your name, Gem Child." Steven lightly bowed and said, "I'm Steven Universe and how did you know that I'm a Gem?" The lion maneuvered the tip of its tail and pointed to the rose quartz in the boy's naval and said, "Aside from the obvious, you bare the scent of a Crystal Gem…more likely _her_ scent."

"Are you," Steven asked in wonder, "talking about my mom?" The lion nodded before he said, "Indeed, I am talking about Rose Quartz as I have known her back when I was at the age my son is right now." This surprised Pearl a bit as Rose had never mentioned meeting a lion of great stature. The lion then sat down, creating a low echoing thud in the room before he said, "I have not seen my son since the day of our previous summoner's death when we searched for one who could take his place as our new summoner…when that dishonorable…_thing_ attacked my son and I. I, Okina Yama, thank you, Child of Rose, for returning Taiyo-Oji, my son to me."

Okina then stuck his tail inside his mane and pulled out a large scroll as he said, "Normally I would have those who wish to be our summoner battle our most feared warrior, Chimamire, but I am proud to say that I am allowing you to sign our contract as a sign that you have won my favor as I can see great courage inside of you that even I can respect. At times, this courage is naivety, but I can still see the true courage that is inside of you child." Okina unrolled the scroll to reveal Japanese writings with finger prints underneath before he said, "You must sign your name with your blood and place a small hand print underneath." Pearl spoke up as she said, "Does Steven really have to sign the contract with his own blood?" Okina nodded as he said, "That is tradition with all of the Summons, Gem Child, as the blood signifies that we, the Lions, have agreed to come forth should he be in need of aide."

Steeling his nerves, Steven had Lion bite the end his thumb to draw blood, causing Pearl to wince at the idea and the act before her, before writing his name in a blank space. It was awkward to write his name sideways as Steven felt a slight burn as he wrote his name before placing a small hand print underneath. "And there," said Steven as his thumb was slowly beginning to heal due to his Gem's power.

"Congratulations, Steven Universe," said Okina as the blood immediately dried while the lion rolled the scroll back up, "You can now call on us when you are in need of assistance. All we have to do is find you a familiar." The was when Lion approached Okina and said, "Father, I wish to be Steven's familiar as he and I share a bond. At first, I was wary of him as I thought he and the women he was with were treasure hunters who sought after an odd artifact that controlled sand. Now I recognize him as a friend, even though some might consider me a pet, I gladly accepted the boy as he had shown no fear towards me. Even though he has yet to fully awaken his power, I, Taiyo-Oji, will be honored to be the boy's familiar." Okina was a bit conflicted as this would mean that he would be away from his son and he wasn't sure of what his long lost son may have learned, but Okina saw the look on his son's eyes as the spoke the truth. "I shall allow this, son," said Okina, "but I would like you to visit every now and then as it has been so long." Steven cheered in victory that he would get to stay with Lion as his familiar.

"Young Steven," said Okina as said boy stopped jumping around for a moment, "I am going to be holding a small meeting with my allies and I am going to request that they bring their summoners to teach you how to summon. Even though the jinchuriki has signed the Toad's contract and summoned before, I believe that their eldest summoner along with the Slug's and Turtle's summoners would be better in teaching you. I shall summon you when the time arrives as in the meantime, you and your friends should be heading back to your home as a Crystal Gem's work is never done." Steven nodded as he, Pearl, and Lion left the chambers while Okina thought, _That boy has great potential hidden inside of him and I can imagine that Rose must be very proud of her son with him bringing back the Lions. May the Sun Gods be with you, Rose Quarts, and May the Sun Gods be with you, Steven Universe._

***Beach City; City Hall***

Mayor Bill Dewey sat in his office when one of his many workers arrived and placed a camera on the desk. "I've followed your son and his friends," said the agent as he adjusted his glasses, "The young blonde child along with the Universe boy were with them. The evidence is on the video, Sir." Bill looked through the video and sped through until the lagoon incident and his eyes widened. This child has such power, but even just viewing the evidence gave him a slight chill down his spine. Once the video ended after revealing the origin of those petals, the mayor turned to face his agent and said, "I would like to talk to the boy and tell him to bring his mother; I'd like to have a word with them."

**How will things go now that Steven has sign the contract with the Lions and what are Sakura and Mayor Dewey up to? Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own Naruto, Steven Universe, or Castle of Glass. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto, Rebecca Sugar, and Linkin Park respectively.**

"Believe in Steven!" normal speech

**"Believe in Steven!"** demon speech

_"Believe in Steven!"_ thought/mind speak

Chapter 8: Moonlight Love and Toads

***Beach City; Crystal Temple***

It was late at night as Naruto sat on the head of the statue that was carved into the mountainside that served as the Crystal Gem's temple and home. _It's not the Hokage Monument,_ Naruto thought with a troubled mind, _but it'll have to do._ Steven and Amethyst had already gone to bed while Pearl and Garnet were looking over some old notes for possible future missions, leaving Naruto able to sneak outside and climbed to the top of the statue's head.

_Why would my father seal Kurama inside of me?_ Naruto thought as he watched the moon's light glistening off of the water's reflective surface, _Why would he use his own son to seal something as dangerous as the Kyuubi? Did he know about the secret of the Uzumaki blood?_ These and many more questions plagued the blonde from the hopeful possibility that the Yondaime had somehow knew that Naruto was the only one who could contain the Kyuubi to even the Yondaime simply not wanting him and used Naruto just as a scapegoat like the villagers had done. It bugged the blonde to no end as he was now thinking about what his real mother was like: Was she a kind sweet woman, or was she just some woman that the Yondaime had slept with?

Not knowing about the slender shadow behind him, Naruto heard a song in his mind that he had heard some time ago during his stay and he couldn't help but take a page of Steven's personality as the song formed in his mind with the words coming out of his mouth…

**_Take me down to the river bend,_**

**_Take me down to the fighting end,_**

**_Wash the poison from off my skin,_**

**_Show me how to be whole again._**

**_Fly me up on a silver wing,_**

**_Past the black where the sirens sing,_**

**_Warm me up in a nova's glow,_**

**_And drop me down to the dream below._**

**_'Cause I'm only a crack,_**

**_In this castle of glass,_**

**_Hardly anything there,_**

**_For you to see._**

**_For you to see._**

_Naruto,_ Pearl thought as she listened to the blonde's melancholic voice echo in her head. She knew that Naruto was thinking how the man who sealed Kurama inside of him happened to be his very own father. The Gem had heard the song before on the radio in the kitchen area and she was surprised that it was sung by one of the groups that normally have loud vocals, but to hear it from Naruto…she felt more pain from the blonde than ever as she silently listened.

**_Bring me home in a blinding dream,_**

**_Through the secrets that I have seen,_**

**_Wash the sorrow from off my skin,_**

**_And show me how to be whole again._**

**_'Cause I'm only a crack,_**

**_In this castle of glass,_**

**_Hardly anything there,_**

**_For you to see._**

**_For you to see._**

Naruto paused for a moment as he looked back on his life back in the village how things were. Back then, no one had ever asked him why he was always so happy and if they did, he'd only lie to them saying that it was a good day for him to be happy. Close to the truth, yes, but no one had ever delved deeper and questioned his smile…that big, STUPID, ear-to-ear smile that hid years of pain and a fragile mind. He really didn't have many friends in the village aside from the two at Ichiraku's, Iruka-sensei, Konohamaru and his friends, the Sandaime (though he was beginning to question the elderly man now), and some of the others that made up the Konoha 12. His teammates clearly didn't care about him as Sasuke had almost killed him and Sakura smashing his arms into oblivion. Kakashi…Naruto was doubtful about his jonin sensei as all he did was focus on Sasuke with the last encouraging words from the man was that he was proud at the amazing progress that Naruto had made before everything had changed.

Deciding to get his mind out of the past, Naruto went back to finish the song without knowing that he was being watched by a concerned Pearl…

**_'Cause I'm only a crack,_**

**_In this castle of glass,_**

**_Hardly anything else,_**

**_I need to be._**

**_'Cause I'm only a crack,_**

**_In this castle of glass,_**

**_Hardly anything there,_**

**_For you to see._**

**_For you to see._**

**_For you to see._**

Pearl slowly approached Naruto and gently said, "Hey Naruto, are you okay?" The blonde jumped a bit in surprise before he saw Pearl sit next to him with a concerned look on her face. "Not really," Naruto sadly admitted as he let out a sigh, "but how can I after learning that my father was the one who sealed Kurama inside of me. I had always kept thinking that my parents had died protecting me during the Kyuubi Incident and the Yondaime had somehow saw this immense amount of untapped potential inside of me before sealing Kurama inside me." Naruto looked down to the water's edge as his eyes were shaded by his blonde hair as he continued, "Now…now I'm wondering why the Yondaime, my own father, had done that to me? Didn't he think about how the villagers would treat me, or how I would feel about learning that he had cursed me since my birth, or…if I ever wondered if he even loved me?"

Pearl swallowed a lump as she saw the tears building up in the blonde's eyes before Naruto blinked them away. "Naruto," Pearl said as she placed a gentle hand on the blonde's cheek, "I'm not sure about what to say, but I know one thing…" Naruto turned to see Pearl looking at him with a loving smile as the moonlight danced in her eyes and upon her beautiful pale skin. "You are a kind and caring person and you will always be loved by those who see you as someone that they can count on to bring a smile to their face," Pearl said as she slid closer to the blonde while blushing, "So even if your father was the one who sealed such dangerous beast inside of you for the wrong reasons, there are people who care for you, Naruto…just like how the others and I care for you. I'm not sure if you remember, but when we thought we were going to lose you, I felt so frightened that I-"

Pearl was interrupted when Naruto placed a finger on her lips before resting his forehead against the gemstone upon the Gem's forehead. "Steven had told me about how you feel about me, Pearl-chan," said Naruto as he felt warmth in his chest, "and I've had the same feeling, but I wasn't sure if they were what they were. That kiss…that accidental kiss that we had showed me that those feelings were true: I…I love you." Pearl felt her heart race at how close the blonde's face was as she said, "I…I love you too…Naruto." The two then went into a kiss as the moonlight created a beautiful scene for their lone watcher hidden behind the lighthouse. Garnet smiled as she was proud of not only her little boy finding love but Pearl as well. _Thank you Pearl,_ Garnet thought as she headed back towards the temple, _Naruto can now begin to heal with those who love him dearly at his side._

The two ended the kiss as Naruto then said, "Once I'm not grounded anymore, you want to go on a date?" Pearl giggled at the blonde's playful smirk before she said, "I'd like to, but I hope you don't mind being patient for a little while. I still want to help you get over your pain, but I'll take you up on that offer then." Naruto chuckled as he said, "Normally I'm the impatient type, but for you, Pearl-hime, I can wait for however long it takes, my Beautiful Gem." Pearl smiled as she leaned her head against Naruto's shoulder as the two watched the moonlight dance across the ocean water below them. The two of them thanked the great beings above them for bringing them together tonight and allowing them the opportunity to confess their love for one another.

***Naruto's Mindscape***

Inside a hidden seal within the seal that held Kurama's cage shut, an image of an older version of Naruto without the whisker marks on his face appeared. "Naruto, my son," said the Yondaime as he stood in the dark sewer that made up his son's mind, "I hope you can forgive me for what I have done and know that I am proud of you and that I do love you as you are the only one that I can trust with such power and mine and your mother's legacy." With a smile on his face, the Yondaime vanished back into the hidden seal as he thought, _Thank you, Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst, Steven, for helping my son with his pain. I hope that we can meet one day._

***Beach City; City Hall***

The next few days had passed with Naruto nervously sitting in the leather chair next to Garnet as the two of them were called by Mayor Bill Dewey to meet with him. The blonde was wearing a blue flannel button up shirt over a white t-shirt and black dress slacks and he had never been this nervous before; sure, he was nervous during the Chunin Exams, but this was completely different as who knows what could happen. _I probably should have tried to help Steven find that G.U.Y.S. toy he was desperately looking for,_ Naruto thought as he eyed the possible escape routes through some of the blonde bangs in his face as he didn't have his hitai-ate from Garnet. "Don't even think about it," said Garnet as she was wearing a red suit with her hair down instead of her usual afro, "I know you're nervous about this, but we must go through this. It's not going to be that bad."

She didn't want to say that she was nervous as well for both herself AND Naruto, but her position as the leader of the Crystal Gems and as Naruto's mother had made Garnet keep her stern and stoic face. Garnet knew that there had been a bit of trouble involving her and the others, mostly due to Steven or Amethyst, and there might be a chance of actions she wouldn't dare think of at the moment. She had to be strong for the both of them.

"Not that bad?!" Naruto whispered a bit loudly, not wanting to cause too much of a scene, "What if they decided to take me away from you and the others? What if I'm forced out of Beach City? What if I'm locked away somewhere and treated like a monster?" Garnet gently placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder and said, "It'll be alright; I'll be here with you." Naruto smiled a bit as he said, "Thanks, Mom."

"Ms. Gemm. Mr. Uzumaki," said the secretary as she opened the door, "The mayor would like to see you two now." _Well,_ Garnet thought as she and Naruto got up and headed into the office, _here goes nothing…_

***Beach City; Town***

In the town, two small toads, one red and the other yellow, wearing blue vests were hopping through Beach City. "This place is pretty amazing," said Gamakitchi as he and Gamatatsu hopped around the town, "I've never seen anything like this! I mean, look at the chariots here!" Gamatatsu, however, let out a small belch as he said, "I kind of like that girl with the glasses that had that bread ring." Gamakitchi sighed as he knew that all his brother was thinking about since they got here was snacks…although he did like the jelly-filled piece of bread. "Listen, Bro," said Gamakitchi as he got his brother's attention, "I know those snacks were good, but Pops sent us out here to check out where that energy wave was coming from. We can go sightseeing later." Gamatatsu groaned but wished that the girl with the glasses would give him more treats later.

On her way home, Connie had sneezed as she carried a small bag of groceries towards were her home. _I wonder who could be thinking about me?_ Connie thought to herself as she wiped her nose on a small handkerchief as a small blush formed on her cheeks, _I hope its Steven. He's cute and so caring._ Connie continued to walk as she hummed a small tune, happily thinking about Steven.

Naruto and Garnet were walking through the town after taking care of a few things. "Glad that's over," Naruto said as he unbuttoned the shirt to expose the white t-shirt underneath, "I wasn't sure how much longer I could have stand being in there." Garnet chuckled as she held a file in her hands that held all the legal information about Naruto Uzumaki's adoption by one Garnet Gemm. _It wasn't too bad,_ Garnet thought as she smiled at her son's antics, _but I can already tell that things around here are definitely going to change._ Mayor Dewey had allowed Garnet to have custody of Naruto in exchange for letting the mayor hold a campaign event in the next re-election speech and let Naruto explain the truth about him. Naruto and Garnet were both scared at how people will react to hearing that a thirteen-year-old boy has a powerful being that has power that could rival a nuclear power plant (whatever the hell that was in Naruto's point of view). After the meeting, Buck arrived and apologized about his father learning about Naruto and his unique gift, but the blonde easily forgave the teen saying that his secret would have been revealed sooner or later. The rest of the day wasn't as bad as Naruto had to go to the hospital to get a check-up and some shots, much to the blonde's chagrin.

_I hate hospitals,_ Naruto thought as he could still feel where the nurses had gave him all those shots, _I'm just lucky that the mayor covered us for the expenses._ **"At least a few of those nurses were nice looking,"** Kurama said from inside Naruto's mind. _Shut up,_ the blonde thought back until he saw two small, familiar toads, _No way_.

"Gamakitchi and Gamatatsu?" Naruto said as the two small toads looked towards him and Garnet. "No way!" said Gamakitchi as he and his brother hopped towards Naruto, "I can't believe that we actually ran into Naruto!" Garnet watched as the small red toad jumped onto Naruto's head while the small yellow toad just sat on the ground. "Do you have any more snacks?" the yellow toad asked casually. "Gamatatsu," said the red toad as he jumped down next to the yellow toad, "we finally found Naruto after like a month and a half and you still think about snacks?" Garnet chuckled a bit as the two small toads had just reminded her of Pearl and Amethyst in a way.

"Mom," said Naruto as he showed Garnet the two small toads, "meet two of the Toad summons, Gamakitchi and Gamatatsu. They've helped me out a good few times when I needed them." Garnet squatted down and said, "It's nice to meet a couple of my son's friends." Gamakitchi blinked in confusion as he asked, "Mom? Son? What's going on here, Naruto?" Naruto chuckled as he then said, "Well, Gamakitchi, this is Garnet Gemm, my new mother. I'm now officially Naruto Gemm-Uzumaki and I'm very proud to have a mother like Garnet!" Gamakitchi smiled as Naruto finally has one of the things he had always wanted: a mother that will love him.

_*smack!*_

"Ow!" said Naruto as he held his head, "who the Hell threw…that…" Naruto, Garnet, and the two Toads looked to see small plastic spheres raining from the sky and inside those spheres was a small plastic man. "I'm pretty sure that it's not natural for toys to rain from the sky," said Naruto as he and others rushed over to where a small pillar was. The two arrived to see Pearl and Amethyst standing on a pile of the spheres and on a much larger pile stood…Onion?

"What's going on?" Garnet asked as she and Naruto approached the two. "Garnet, Naruto, we're so glad you two made it!" said Amethyst as she then saw the small toads on Naruto's shoulders, "Are those frogs?" Gamakitchi jumped down along with his brother as he said, "We're Toads, lady."

"This is ridiculous!" said Pearl as she was so many spheres of those small toys appear from the small wand that the boy had in the air, "How did he get my Replicator?!" _So that's what's going on?_ Naruto though as Amethyst had said something before getting smacked in the face by one of the toys. **"Somehow I'm thinking that Amethyst deserved that one,"** Kurama said as Steven popped out of somewhere underneath the pile.

"Could you _please_ explain this mess?" Pearl asked with a scolding voice. "I traded that Replicator for Ranger GUY," Steven said as he pulled out a small toy cowboy. "Couldn't you have replicated Ranger GUY?" Naruto asked as Steven then smacked himself in the face. "Let's move!" said Garnet as she, Pearl, and Naruto jumped into action while Amethyst fell into the pile. "How do you move around in this?" Gamakitchi said as he tried to get his balance while Gamatatsu just sank into the pile without much of a care. "Try and be like a rich duck," Steven answered before diving into the pile. "I'm a Toad, not a duck," the red Toad said with an agitated look as he tried hopping through the chaos.

The trio landed at the base of the pile and started to climb to the top where Onion was. Onion gave the three a look before Garnet held out her hand and said, "Hand it over; it doesn't belong to you!" Onion then pointed the wand towards the three as toys flew straight towards the trio. Pearl and Naruto took cover as Garnet summoned a gauntlet to shield the group from the oncoming attack. "Onion!" said Naruto as he had a smile on his face, "If you give that Replicator to me, I'll show you a cool magic trick." Onion stopped briefly as he watched and saw more Naruto's appear out of thin air. "See," said Naruto as he held out his hand, "now give me the-"

The blonde froze as he saw Onion blast a nearby car and thought, _Oh crap!_ The little boy pointed the wand at Naruto and the Gems again, but this time, a car was now falling towards them! "Get down!" said Garnet as she pushed Pearl and Naruto into the pile before she caught the vehicle and tossed it aside. Naruto poked his head out in time to see Garnet get hit by a duplicate of the car. "Mom!" Naruto shouted as his mother was smashed into a nearby pile. The blonde let out a sigh as Garnet pushed the car aside to show that she was safe, at least until three more cars smashed into her. Naruto saw another car coming towards him and he quickly dove into the pile to avoid getting hit. A pang in his head alerted Naruto that his Shadow Clones were crushed by many copies of that car as he now had the feeling of getting ran over by a flying car.

He dug around until he stopped hearing the sound of crushing metal above him. _Is it over?_ Naruto thought as he poked his head out at the same time Pearl had. "I'm never letting Amethyst borrow anything again," Pearl said angrily as she stared at the Replicator that was now out of Onion's possession…at least before Garnet stomped on it. "I'm not cleaning up this mess," said the Gem as the duplicated items began to vanish.

Steven then looked at Onion and said, "I think I understand why to took my Ranger GUY, Onion. I bet you get pretty lonely waiting for your dad all day." Onion nodded as Steven continued, "I bet you get pretty bored too, and because you missed your dad, you took my Ranger GUY, which is a symbol of the relationship I have with my dad." Onion shook his head negatively before nodded as Steven mention that it was just for the first reason. "Here," said Steven as he handed the smaller boy the toy cowboy, "you need him more than I do." Onion took the toy with a smile before running off into town.

"Let's go," said Garnet as her suit had small tears in it. "Yeah," said Naruto as he held his head, "I need to get an ice pack. I feel like I just got ran over by a giant toad again." _Plus,_ Naruto mentally added as he felt exhausted, _I've had a very long day…bed sounds nice right about now._ Garnet looked over and saw a tired Naruto and asked, "You want me to carry for until we reach the temple?" The blonde smiled as he climbed onto Garnet's back and rested his head against her shoulder. "Get some rest, little one," Garnet quietly said before she began to hum a gentle tune as she carried Naruto with a bright warm feeling in her heart as she carried her son proudly while the others, along with the two Toads, followed her to the temple.

***Konohagakure***

A few days had passed after learning about Naruto being alive as Sakura was now standing in the Hokage's Office with the Konoha 9 and their senseis, Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Tsunade watching her. "So," said Tsunade as her voice betrayed the peaceful pink flower in her hair, "mind telling us why you had revealed this secret or how you even learned of Naruto still being alive somewhere out of the Elemental Countries?" The rosette gulp as she remembered how she got here in the first place…

_Flashback_

_ Sakura was taking a break after doing some research on dowsing and trying some old techniques to locate objects when she saw Sasuke in the market place. While she still cared for the Uchiha, Sakura was still wary of him as Sasuke would sometimes have this hateful scowl on his face or even bare his teeth in anger towards their lost teammate. "Hey Sasuke-kun," said Sakura as she knew that there were ANBU members keeping an eye on Sasuke, "Have the others told you about Naruto?"_

_"Of course not," Sasuke growled towards the rosette, "but I know that they're hiding something. There is no way that THAT dobe is dead; he's just faking his death so he can gloat that he had defeated ME, a mighty Uchiha, an Elite!" Sakura flinched at how loud Sasuke was as the Uchiha was still enraged at his loss towards Naruto. "You were never told?" Sakura asked like it was the most obvious statement ever told, "Naruto _is_ alive as I heard the Hokage and Lord Jiraiya trying to think of ways to try and find him. I didn't hear much of the conversation, but Naruto is in fact still alive somewhere outside of the Elemental Countries."_

_ "I KNEW IT!" Sasuke roared violently while baring his teeth angrily, scaring the poor rosette before him, "I KNEW THAT THAT BASTARD'S STILL ALIVE! WHEN I FIND HIM, I'LL MAKE HIM RUE THE DAY HE DARED TO DEFEAT ME!"_

_Flashback End_

Sakura could still hear Sasuke ranting while the ANBU detained him and took the Uchiha home before any damage was done, but not without one of them saying that Tsunade was going to hear about that event. "Well?" Jiraiya asked with great authority in his voice, "We're waiting." Sakura sighed in defeat as she said, "I was coming to speak to the Hokage to see if there was a way for me to become a shinobi again when I overheard her talking to Lord Jiraiya about Naruto and ways to hopefully finding him. I had done some research about dowsing, but unfortunately I couldn't get much done as I've tried to find something of Naruto's as a means to track him by using chakra. I…I know that what I've done is unforgivable, but I want to apologize to him and get things back to the way they were."

"With the exception that Naruto may never be able to be a shinobi again, Haruno-san," said Lee with disgust and disappointment, "How would he be able to mold chakra without the use of his hands? Even with prosthetics, Naruto-san's life would never be the same and here you are, wanting things to go back to what they once were." Sakura flinched at how Lee spoke to her, but she knew she deserved that. How could anyone speak to you after you robbed someone of their very livelihood because of something ridiculous?

_That's another admirer I've lost because of my stupidity,_ Sakura thought as she saw anger and betrayal in the taijutsu specialist's eyes. After learning what Sakura had done to Naruto, Lee was depressed to where he couldn't even train without thinking about what had happened to the blonde. Even Neji was deeply concerned as his teammate was acting completely out of character for a whole two weeks with the most shocking thing that Lee had done was telling Gai to shut up when the very man Lee looks up to was preaching about the Flames of Youth. Thankfully, Lee had recovered after getting a scolding and a wake-up call from Naruto in a dream and things were almost right with the world…all that was left was Naruto being a part of the group to make the Konoha 10.

Sadly that was just a dream for now…

Before another word was said, two plumes of smoke appeared before Tsunade to reveal a small green toad wearing a blue yukata and a small white slug with three blue lines running down its back. "Pardon the interruption," said the slug with a soft, refined voice, "but we have a very important message from the Pride King." Annoyed, Tsunade said, "I'm in the middle of something very important, Katsuyu and right now I-"

"Did you say the Pride King?" Jiraiya interrupted with surprise in his voice. The toad turned towards Jiraiya and said, "Yeah. The Pride King is going to be holding a meeting with all of his allies somewhere in the future and he wanted the recent summoners to be present as well." Tsunade looked at her old teammate with a questioning look as Jiraiya then said, "We simply cannot refuse something from the Pride King, especially since the Lions haven't had a summoner since the Shodaime!"

"My grandfather had a contract with summons?" Tsunade asked with complete confusion, "My grandfather had never mentioned being able to summon." Jiraiya nodded as he said, "Sarutobi-sensei told me that your grandfather actually wanted the Lions to see if our sensei was worthy of summoning them, but that was before Sarutobi-sensei sign the contract with the Monkeys. The only reason that the Shodaime changed his mind was that both the Lions and Monkeys had some issues going on and if those two had the same summoner, it would have been a Summons War for rights of the summoner."

"So what happened?" Shikamaru asked curiously as there had never been anyone who could summon lions. "You can thank that vile being AND the rest of this village for showing us that Konoha isn't worthy of our contract and power," said a voice as everyone turned an adolescent lion dark green fur and a small light green mane wearing bindings on its paws. Everyone stepped back in fear of the lion while the toad and Katsuyu bowed towards the beast. "You humans fear me," said the lion as he observed the group, "even though I, Kusabue, am just a messenger for the Pride King, I was also sent here as a scout to see if anything had changed since Naruto-sama's banishment."

"How did you know about Naruto's banishment?" Tenten asked as everyone else was wondering the same thing. "You seriously didn't think that the Hokages before her already had that crystal ball to use," Kusabue said with a challenging voice with a glare to back him up, "That and knowledge of how to use it was given to Hashirama for successfully mastering Sage Mode. Not only our scouts have watched every now and then, but our Sphinxes as well, to see if this village had changed since learning the truth about Naruto-sama…but unfortunately we still see those who would rather teach their cubs about believing that Naruto-sama is the demon instead of the container." Sakura looked at the lion as she asked, "Why are you giving that baka such high respect? As far as-"

_*ker-BAM!*_

"You DARE speak ill about the jinchuriki that had actually wounded one of our most feared Lions, Chimamire, in combat!" Kusabue yelled as his roar violently shook the building while he held the rosette against a wall with his foreleg. Everyone saw that the lion was somehow standing on its hind legs like a human in a threatening manner. Sakura stared fearfully into Kusabue's hazel eyes that showed pure anger and hate, regretting about disrespecting Naruto. "You are lucky that the Pride King had sent me instead of Chimamire," Kusabue threateningly said as he fell down back to all fours, letting Sakura fall to the floor, "He would not have been so merciful."

The lion shook himself to compose himself and said, "I shall take my leave and report to my king about the atmosphere that still lingers here. Katsuyu-sama, Toad-san, May the Suns Gods be with you. Please relay the same message to your boss summon, Toad-san." Kusabue then disappeared in a plume of smoke before Katsuyu and the toad let out a held breath. "Well Konoha's not going to be getting the Lions anytime soon," said the toad as he crossed his arms in disappointment, "and it's thanks to Pinkie and others like her." Sakura soon saw glares pointed towards her and honestly wished that she would have kept her mouth shut.

Today was just not a real good day for Sakura Haruno…

**Now that Gamakitchi and Gamatatsu are now with Naruto Beach City, how will things play out? What do the Lions have planned out for Jiraiya and Tsunade? Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own Naruto or Steven Universe.**

"Believe in Steven!" normal speech

_"Believe in Steven!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Believe in Steven!"** demon speech

Chapter 9: Crossing Swords

***Beach City; Town Hall***

Naruto was sitting on one of the chairs that was set up for another one of Mayor Bill Dewey's Re-Election Speeches and he was seriously nervous. _I'm feeling really sick about this,_ Naruto thought as the red-haired man wearing a black suit and shades was sitting next to him. "Take it easy, Kid," the red-haired man said with a cool, collected voice, "This place actually seems too nice to be like Konoha." _You should know better than that, 'Agent' Kurama,_ Naruto thought as he looked at the crowd and saw Steven and the others wave towards him, _At least there are some people here who accept me._

"People of Beach City," Mayor Dewey addressed, "I have gathered you here for a very important announcement: Today with us we have a small boy who has had a terrible past that the good people of Beach City just cannot accept to have happened to him." The Mayor waved towards Naruto before continuing, "The young boy with us is Naruto Uzumaki and he has suffered trauma that our veterans, bless them wherever they may be, would never have imagined happened to such a nice child. With me to explain what is going on with the boy is Agent Kurama Inari. Mr. Inari, if you please." Kurama got up and approached the podium as Mayor Dewey gave him the spotlight.

"People of Beach City," Kurama spoke with absolute professionalism, "what I am about to explain may seem farfetched and unbelievable, but what I speak is the truth: young Naruto Uzumaki is from a far off land that seems like another world compared to our own that has unique abilities that make comic books look bland compared to the natives of that land." The possessed clone performed a weak Rasengan and let it dissipate as he saw the people murmur to each other before he continued, "Unfortunately in that land, demons do exist and the natives have found a way to seal such beasts in their own kind, mostly infants." _That got their attention,_ Kurama thought as even the birds were in complete silence at the piece of information. "This poor child," Kurama said as he pointed to Naruto, "was cursed on the day he was born when the leader of his village seal a dangerous and all-powerful demon known as the Kyuubi, in your language the beast would be known as the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, that nearly destroyed the boy's home. It is unknown why this man would do such a thing to an infant, but because of his actions, Naruto had been through things that even demons would be confused as to who are the real monsters are. I will allow the boy to tell you his history, but please understand that he is a walking prison with the Kyuubi as his prisoner and is to be seen as the boy he is…unlike those disgraceful villagers who have done more than just torment the boy." Kurama turned towards Naruto and said, "They're all yours, Mr. Uzumaki."

Naruto nervously got to the podium and saw all of the people there staring at him…watching him…getting ready to judge him. "H-Hello," Naruto began with his heart racing, "as you have been told, my name is Naruto Uzumaki and I'm not from around here. I am also carrying a dangerous demon inside of me due to my…I mean, the leader of the village where I was originally from." Kurama hid a cringe as Naruto had nearly revealed a bit of the truth of who was the one responsible for the blonde's plight back at the village. "In all honesty, I never really had much of a childhood once I was kicked out of the orphanage at the age of five," Naruto said as a collection of gasps was heard from the audience, "I had to face numerous beatings, teachers sabotaging my education, and parents keeping their children away from me because they believed me to be the monster that attacked our village on the day I was born." Naruto darkly chuckled as he then said, "While some of you have had many happy birthdays, mine where nothing but fear, sadness…and even thoughts that might shock some of you, and while I'm still afraid of my birthday, October 10, I had actually found some people who see me for me." An image of his close friends appeared in the blonde's mind before he continued, "Unfortunately it was never enough as the council of the village where I'm from decided to send me into exile after I kept their 'golden boy' away from a sick psychopath who had…questionable eyes for the boy. They even had a ship that would take me to a faraway island prepared for me, too bad they didn't expect a really bad storm to cause the ship and its crew to be lost at sea. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if there was a celebration held by those who despised me back home due to my death while my real friends held a wake for me."

Blinking the tears out of his face, Naruto gave the crowd a small smile, "I wasn't sure what I was going to do when I washed up here in Beach City, but thankfully I have found some people who can see me for who I am and also…be truly happy that I have finally gotten what an orphan always wants: a mom." The blonde looked and saw the proud and happy smile on Garnet's face and felt the love behind it. "I hope that I can live a nice life here in Beach City since I'm starting over in a way," Naruto finished with a small smile, "I think I'll let the mayor wrap things up. I hope that I could at least be a good friend to some of you."

Naruto walked back towards his seat as Mayor Dewey stood back up at the podium. "What a good child, folks," said the mayor with actually an honest smile on his face, "that is why if I'm re-elected, I will have a unique division set up with the help of Agent Kurama that will help Naruto keep his condition under control." _He's already trying to buy their votes already,_ Kurama thought as his eyebrow twitched in agitation, _Politicians, the only ones who CAN lie just to get anything to go their way._ Everyone clapped in support of the mayor with a photographer getting a picture of Mayor Dewey posed with Naruto and the 'agent' as to boost publicity.

Backstage, Naruto had walked towards where Garnet and the others were waiting for him. "You alright, Naruto?" Garnet asked as Gamatatsu was sitting onto of her afro. "I felt really sick during that whole speech," the blonde admitted with a nervous chuckle, "Hopefully I can have a good life here." Kurama approached the group and said, "I could feel the tension from where I was sitting, but you did great Naruto."

"Naruto," said a new voice as the blonde turned to see a man with a curly blonde beard wearing a yellow raincoat and hat waving towards him with Onion next to him. "I'll be back you guys," said Naruto as he walked towards the man, "Can…can I help you?" The man nodded and said, "Indeed. People around me call me Yellowtail and I have heard about my son's…behavior." Sensing the blonde's nervousness, Yellowtail then said, "Don't worry as I have heard about what my son has been doing before you even arrived here. Onion has told me about how you were an orphan before Ms. Gemm decided to adopt you and I can easily see that the boy looks to you like a brother. We sailors are a superstitious bunch, but I can see the good in ya that I can trust you with my boy." Yellowtail gave his son a smile as he then said, "I would really like it if you became like a brother to my son as I wish I could spend more time with him, I honestly do, but the life of a sailor is never easy as we could only be home for a few seconds; I consider myself lucky if I even get a whole hour. If it's not too much, I'd like for ya to keep an eye on Onion as my wife would haunt me if anything bad were to happen to our son." Naruto smiled as he said, "You can count on me, Yellowtail-san."

Naruto soon returned to Garnet and the others while Onion and his father left. "It looks like it might rain," said Pearl as she looked at the numerous dark clouds in the sky, "We better head back to the temple." Gamakitchi soon appeared in a cloud of smoke and said, "I'm back and I told Pops about what's going on." Naruto picked up the Toad and said, "Could you explain it on the way to the temple? We need to beat the storm." The red toad nodded as he hopped onto Naruto's head and told them what had happened…

_Flashback_

**_*Mount Myoboku*_**

_Gamakitchi arrived in a cloud of smoke as Gamabunta saw his son and noticed that Gamatatsu was missing. "Where's your brother?" Gamabunta asked as his son hopped towards him. "He's with Naruto and yes, we have found him!" Gamakitchi said with joy, "That wave of energy was Naruto as he finally found someone to call his mother." The giant Toad was surprised and he chuckled at how lucky Naruto was at not only surviving the ship wreck, but finding a good mother that will be there for him. "So," Gamabunta asked his son, "where is the gaki? I haven't seen him in quite some time."_

_ "__Well, you see Pops," Gamakitchi said with slight regret, "Naruto had asked me to tell you not to reverse summon him as he loves it at Beach City where he's living at now. He also had a close called with death because of his new power." Gamabunta's eyes widened and said, "What happened?" Gamakitchi then began to explain to Gamabunta about Naruto now being a Crystal Gem after the Kyuubi had restored the blonde's arm in exchange to possess a Shadow Clone every now and then. "Interesting," Gamabunta said as he let the information soak into his skull, "Alright, I'll let Naruto stay at his new home and you and Gamatatsu can stay with him. Just come home when I summon you for your training." Gamakitchi smiled as he gets to stay with his good buddy when Gamabunta then said, "When you get back, tell Naruto that I'm very happy for him finally getting a mother that he wanted." The red Toad nodded and disappeared in a cloud of smoke as the giant Toad had a smile on his face at the news about Naruto._

_Flashback End_

***Beach City; Crystal Temple***

"So Gamabunta's letting me stay here?" Naruto asked with hope in his voice as he and the others had just beaten the rain. "Yep," said Gamakitchi as he was still sitting on top of Naruto's head, "He's even letting us stay with ya as long as we come home and train. My Pops wouldn't dare think about separatin' ya from your new family, Naruto." Naruto pumped his fist in victory as he gets to stay with his new friends.

"Who's up for a movie?" Steven asked as he held up a small case that had the title of _Lonely Blade IV_. "Sure," said Garnet as everyone else nodded, "I'll go make some popcorn." Gamakitchi turn towards the Gem and said, "Better make an extra bag or two for Gamatatsu as he'll probably focus more on the snacks as usual." Time had passed as everyone was watching the movie of a young samurai warrior trying to get revenge against the one responsible for his family's death. "This is pretty good," Naruto said he sat close to Pearl, "It reminds me of a mission that I had once to the Land of Snow/Spring. Hehe, good times."

Naruto had zoned out a bit as he walked down memory lane, not listening to what Pearl was saying until he heard his name being called. "Come on Naruto," Steven said as Naruto blinked back into reality, "Pearl's going to show us some cool sword fighting!" Naruto followed the others until they had reached a small temple-like area that was surrounded by many clouds. "Alright," said Pearl as she held two swords in her hands, "in order to demonstrate proper sword fighting, I'm going to need a volunteer." Steven was about to raise his hand when Garnet had stopped him before giving Naruto a look that told him to stay put. "Luckily I now the perfect partner," said Pearl as she projected a holographic image of herself and sliced the projecting light with a sword. "DO YOU WISH TO ENGAGE IN COMBAT?" asked the holographic Pearl with a robotic voice. "Cool," said Steven with stars in his eyes, "Holo-Pearl!"

Pearl tossed a sword to the holographic doppelganger as Holo-Pearl caught the blade. In a quick moment, both Pearls charged each other and began fighting as sparks flew from the clashing blades. "Damn, Naruto," said Gamakitchi as he watched the fight, "you sure know how to pick your ladies, but are you sure she's not going to be like Sakura?" Naruto scowled at the question and said, "Sakura couldn't even get close to Pearl-hime even if my Beautiful Gem held back." Pearl hid a blush as she then gotten into a pushing battle with Holo-Pearl. "Go Pearl!" Steven cheered with excitement. "Go Holo-Pearl!" Amethyst cheered from the cloud she was laying on. Pearl scowled at Amethyst cheering for her opponent, but she then heard Naruto say, "Come on Pearl! I believe in you! You can do it!" Pearl smiled at Naruto's words on encouragement as she had somehow felt stronger.

"OPENING DETECTED!" said Holo-Pearl as the real Pearl lost her balance while her sword was lost from her grip. _Get yourself together, Pearl!_ Pearl mentally scolded herself, _Naruto's watching so you have to make this good!_ The Gem quickly bounced onto her feet and charged towards Holo-Pearl before sliding to avoid a slash. Pearl had gotten her blade back and launched her holographic duplicate with a powerful slash, defeating the double. Pearl held the blade towards her fallen opponent to ensure victory while she heard the others cheer for her with Naruto's being the loudest.

"There you have it," said Pearl as she cheering died down while Steven and Naruto approached her. "That was so cool!" said Steven as stars were visible in his eyes, "Could you show me how to do that!" _I think it would be good to learn how to use a sword,_ Naruto thought as he watched Holo-Pearl get back up when Pearl had set it to training mode. "Now watch how I do it," said Pearl as she and her duplicate traded a series of attacks, blocks, and parries. "Boomerang Blade! Boomerang Blade!" Steven chanted in excitement as Naruto rolled his eyes. "I don't think anything like that were to be that simple," said Naruto as he kept an eye on the demonstration, "and besides, most of that is just Hollywood Magic as without a way to get that sword back that weapon could be lost forever." Naruto couldn't help but see Holo-Pearl gaining the advantage without his girlfriend noticing.

"Naruto's right, Steven," Pearl said as she continued to demonstrate while lecturing Steven, "These are actual sword techniques, not those moves from those silly movies. It's about waiting carefully for the right moment to-"

"Pearl-hime," said Naruto as he shoved Pearl out of the way.

"THRUST!"

_*sherk!*_

"Urgh!" Naruto choked out as he froze and his pupils shrank. Everyone present froze at what they saw as the blonde stumbled back as he turned around, sword in his stomach. Naruto saw the horrified look as Amethyst and Garnet carefully approached him. "Hehe…um…ow," said Naruto as he nervously smiled, "D-don't worry about this; I'm going to be fi-"

_*FOOM!*_

Everyone saw Naruto explode into mist as the sword fell to the ground along with two square amber gems. "Naruto…" said Pearl as her holographic double just stood there in emotionless victory. Tears were welling up in her eyes as Naruto had just took a fatal stab for her…because of her recklessness. _No…no, no, NO!_ Pearl screamed in her mind as he ran off while tears fell off of her face while the others, save for Steven, called out to her.

"I…I…" Steven said as tears formed in the corner of his eyes as he held the two amber stones in his hands. "R-relax, Steven," Amethyst said as she jumped off her cloud, "Naruto's going to be just fine." _I hope,_ the purple Gem mentally whispered to herself as _this_ had never happened to a Half-Gem. "Steven," Garnet said as her glasses hid the tears welling in her eyes, "sometimes when our bodies are badly damaged, we release our physical forms and retreat inside of our gems to regenerate." Steven sniffled a bit as he said, "So Naruto's going to okay?"

Garnet nodded as Amethyst sat next to Steven and said, "Don't worry, bud, this kind of thing just happens sometimes, usually to me." Hiding her sadness, Garnet forced a small smile and said, "Always to you." Amethyst chuckled and said, "Hey, I'm scrappy; what do you want?" Feeling a little better, Steven chuckled and asked, "So how long will it take him to regenerate? Five minutes? Ten Minutes?"

Two weeks had passed and Steven was laying on the couch as he waited for Pearl to come out of her room with Naruto at her side. After the incident, Pearl had locked herself in the deepest parts of her room and she was completely miserable. When Garnet entered Pearl's room a few days after the incident, the woman had found the normal poised and collected Pearl a complete mess of tears. Garnet had agreed that until Naruto had recovered, Pearl would hold onto to the two amber gems as a means of comforting the poor girl. Pearl had kicked Steven and Amethyst out of her room a good few times while Pearl had allowed Garnet to be next to her, seeing how Naruto was her son.

The teleporter flashed as Garnet and Amethyst, who was riding a cloud, arrived. "Waddup?" Amethyst greeted a very bored and distant Steven. "Hey," said the small boy with not much life as Gamakitchi and Gamatatsu were away training. "She's still hasn't come out?" Amethyst asked in shock as she looked at the door, "Man, I thought Naruto would have been done by now!" Amethyst turned around and saw Steven's portion of the temple a complete mess as she then said, "Gotta tell you though, I love what you done with the place!" Steven looked around and said, "Pearl usually helps me tidy up." Shrugging her shoulders, Amethyst said, "I say leave it."

"Hey," said Steven as he had an idea, "if real Pearl can't be here, there's always the next best thing!" Amethyst watched as Steven ran over towards a figure covered in a bed sheet and he pulled the sheet off to reveal Holo-Pearl. "DO YOU WISH TO ENGAGE IN COMBAT?" Holo-Pearl asked as it held a sword in its hand. _Oh boy,_ Amethyst thought as she slowly floated towards Steven and Holo-Pearl, _I wonder if Pearl remembers that she forgot to get rid of that creepy thing?_

Garnet had arrived in Pearl's room and traveled to some of the deeper parts past the waterfalls. There, Garnet saw Pearl sitting at a desk with her upper body leaning over it and upon further inspection it was soon discovered that Pearl must have fallen asleep some time ago with two square amber gems resting against her tear stained face. If one were to listen closely, you could hear Pearl whisper apologies and requests to be forgiven. _Pearl,_ Garnet thought as it was actually strange and frightening to see the normal poised Gem so, dare she think it, broken.

Careful as to not wake Pearl, Garnet picked up the two amber gems and gently wrapped her fingers around them. "I'm not sure if you can hear me," Garnet whispered to the two amber gems in her hands, "but Mama loves you and we all miss you. You don't know how much Pearl has beaten herself up over that incident. We do not want to rush your recovery, but please come back; not only for me…but for Pearl." After giving both of the ambers a loving kiss, Garnet placed them back on the desk near Pearl's face and pulled out a blanket before covering the sleeping Gem. Pearl lightly groan before she tiredly said, "Naru…to…so…rry." _Rest easy, Pearl,_ Garnet thought as she headed towards the door, hoping to get some fresh air, but as she headed out, Garnet couldn't help but recall a certain conversation with Kurama about Naruto…

_Flashback_

_Garnet watched Steven head towards the beach after finishing his tree climbing exercise when she looked over towards Kurama. "Kurama," Garnet asked as she grabbed the clone's attention, "have there been times when Naruto…had gotten close to death before that birthday incident?" Kurama sighed as he said, "If you subtract the numerous assassination attempts, the more severe beatings, and the occasional poisoning, I'd…probably say about…three. The first time was when he was tossed into a deep, and I mean DEEP, crevasse." Garnet hid her anger as she felt like giving whoever had done that to her boy a piece of her mind. "Then there was the time his former comrade shoved that Chidori into the kit's chest," said Kurama as he moved the shirt to reveal the massive scar on the clone's chest, "and the most recent one was when that shipwreck had happened, although he got lucky with that actually and didn't even need my help. Why did you ask?"_

_ "__I asked because we Crystal Gems can lose our physical forms when our bodies are badly damaged," Garnet answered, "From there, we retreat into our gems to regenerate." Getting an idea of where this was going, Kurama asked, "You're wondering if Naruto may go through the same thing since he's now a Gem?" Getting a nod from Garnet, the possessed clone brought a hand to his chin and said, "I'm not actually sure…but I think I may have a theory of what _might_ happen: Naruto's Gem Power may mix with the unique abilities he possesses as a jinchuriki. All jinchuriki possess unique abilities depending on what is sealed inside of them, for example sand manipulation from Shukaku and increased healing rate from myself. While not making him a full Gem, Naruto might possess abilities of a full-blooded Gem despite being a Half-Gem." Garnet raised an eyebrow at this as Kurama then said, "But like I said, it's just a theory…one that I'd rather not find out if it's true."_

_Flashback End_

"Hey Garnet!" said Amethyst, snapping said Gem back into reality while holding a small, bunched up cloud, "I'm gonna do it!" _I guess it won't hurt to relax a bit and stop worrying,_ Garnet thought as she looked at the purple Gem and said, "Go on then." Amethyst ate the small cloud and swallowed it with pride before her body expanded and began to float. Garnet grabbed Amethyst's ankle before Steven arrived with Holo-Pearl and said, "What are you rascals doing?"

"Steven," Amethyst said as Holo-Pearl got into a fighting stance while holding an umbrella like a sword, "What are you doing?" Amethyst belched as a small puff of the cloud she ate was soon floating up into the sky. "Aw," said Steven as he felt disappointed, "I just miss Pearl and Naruto so badly." Garnet smiled a bit as she said, "Don't worry, Naruto will come back to us soon and things will be alright." The Gem then looked at Holo-Pearl with slight disgust and said, "And stop hanging out with that thing; it creepy." Hearing Amethyst floating away, Garnet saw that she had accidentally let go of Amethyst and hummed in annoyance…and embarrassment.

Back inside the temple, Pearl had woken up in fright as her heart was now racing. She just had a terrible nightmare where she saw the whole incident happen, but it was Pearl who had stabbed Naruto instead of her hologram. _The look on his face,_ Pearl thought as she ran a hand through her hair as she remembered the look of pain and betrayal on the blonde's face. She then looked at the two amber gems as her eyes were starting to burn from all the crying she had done. "Naruto," Pearl said weakly as she picked up the two gems, "I'm so sorry that this had to happen to you."

A loud crash outside her room had alerted Pearl that Steven might be in danger, so she rushed out to only find her hologram slicing into Steven. "STEVEN!" Pearl cried out at the sight before she saw a stuffed walrus that was sliced in twain fall where Steven once was. "Boomerang!" Steven shouted as he threw a boomerang, unknowingly using chakra at the time, to only see the projectile zoom past Holo-Pearl before embedding itself into a wall. Seeing the real Pearl, Steven called out, "Help! Holo-Pearl's gone out of control!"

"Steven, get to safety," Pearl said as she was about to charge in, but two golden chains had wrapped themselves around the Gem and held her in place, "What the…what is this? I can't move!" Steven noticed how Pearl couldn't help him with that chain holding her so he had to jump over counter for better protection. "STEVEN!" Pearl cried once more before she felt a hand on her shoulder. Pearl didn't notice a magic aura changing Pearl's out as she was now wearing a light blue tunic with a kimono-like sash, orange shorts, pink socks, and light blue ballerina shoes as she looked to see a woman with long red hair wearing a green dress.

"Who are you?" Pearl asked as she tried to wrestle out of the chains, "Did you tie me up?" The woman nodded as she then said, "Steven-chan needs to gain experience himself as while learning from mentors can help him, nothing beats learning like first-hand experience." Pearl looked at where Holo-Pearl was attacking before she turned her attention back to the woman and asked, "Who are you?" The woman lifted an arm to move some of her hair, revealing a square amber gem in her arm. "Na…Naruto?" Pearl asked with curiosity and the woman chuckled. "No, but I am the woman who gave birth to my little maelstrom," the woman said as Pearl's eyes widened, "I'm Kushina Uzumaki…I'm Naruto's birth mother."

"Boomerang Blade!" Steven shouted as a mop was then impaled into Holo-Pearl, stopping the intense fight as the hologram was now standing at attention. "CHALLENGER WINS!" said Holo-Pearl with the same emotionless eyes, "DO YOU WISH TO-"

_*ching!**ching!**chi-chi-ching!*_

The hologram was sliced into many small particles as the red-haired woman as use a kitchen knife in her hand to destroy the hologram. "That's enough fighting for one night," said the woman before she turned her attention to Steven. The young boy looked at the woman before he saw the amber gems on the woman's arms and said, "Naruto? Is…is that you?" Kushina released Pearl as the Gem walked towards her before turning her attention back to Steven and with a smile, she said, "No, but I am someone who is very close to him. I'm his birth mother, Kushina Uzumaki, and I'm honored to meet one of my little maelstrom's friends." Kushina then looked at Pearl and said, "It's great to meet my little boy's girlfriend and please, do not worry about what had happened; it was an accident and he forgives you. I hope I can meet you all again sometime." Before Steven or Pearl could speak, the woman was covered in a flash of light before revealing an unconscious Naruto on the floor wearing black jeans, a black shirt with red anthropomorphic fox dressed as a ninja, and an orange vest.

"Steven," said Garnet as she ran through the door, holding on to a string, "We heard fighting!" With a quick tug, Amethyst, who was still bloated from the cloud she had ate, was pulled in. "Ow!" Amethyst grunted as she had hit her head before she began to float above Garnet, "Are you and Pearl alright? What's going on?" Thinking quickly, Steven said, "Oh, just mopping, as Pearl was starting to feel better." Steven saw a small amount of Holo-Pearl's particles reforming before smacking them with the mop to continue acting like he was cleaning. "You know," Steven continued as he was 'mopping' the area, "I might have missed Naruto and Pearl a whole lot, but sometimes, you have to accept the way things are before trying to replace what you miss."

Pearl then kneeled next to Steven and said, "Steven, I'm really sorry if I had worried you when I wasn't acting like myself. Think you can forgive me?" Steven hugged Pearl as the Gem then looked at the state of Steven's room. "Uh, Steven, what happened to your room?" Pearl asked as she then saw Garnet holding a string that was connected to an inflated Amethyst in her other hand, "I don't even want to know what happened to you." With a smile on her face, Amethyst proudly said, "I got hit by an airplane!" Seeing the state of the room and Amethyst belching out a small cloud, Pearl sighed and said, "I can't leave you guys for a second." Sometimes Pearl just wonders just what would happen without her around and not knowing what _had_ happened during her absence. 

**Now that we discovered that Naruto can indeed retreat inside his gem like a full-blooded Gem, but why did Kushina appear before Naruto reappeared? Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne**


	10. Chapter 10

**I do not own Naruto or Steven Universe. I also had tweaked the Crystal Gem song, but still, I do not own the song.**

"Believe in Steven!" normal speech

_"Believe in Steven!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Believe in Steven!"** demon speak

Chapter 10: Summons Meet

***Beach City; Crystal Temple***

Naruto was sitting on the couch after taking a short break from helping clean up Steven's room after the whole incident with Holo-Pearl and his mind was focused on what had happened since taking that attack for Pearl. _Hey Kurama,_ Naruto asked as he got the fox's attention, _do you remember what happened when Holo-Pearl had stabbed me?_ **"The only thing I can say Kit is that a theory about you and your Crystal Gem power was right,"** Kurama said as even HE was trying to figure out what had happened, **"Unfortunately, even I can't remember what happened so all I can guess is that you retreated into the gems. Then again, you were stabbed through the stomach."** _Ow,_ Naruto mentally cringed, _Holo-Pearl had nearly killed me!_ **"Yeah,"** said the demon fox, **"but at least we know that you'll retreat into your gems if badly injured…just don't do anything like that again."**_ No promises,_ Naruto thought back as he got up to help Pearl take out the collected garbage when he saw the boomerang in the wall, _Was that always there?_

The room was finally cleaned after a couple more hours of using elbow grease and hard work when Yukan appeared in a plume of smoke. "The Pride King has sent me to inform Steven and our prince that the meeting with our allies will be commencing soon. Do not worry, the other Lions and I will watch over the cub during the meeting as the summoners of our allies will teach him about how to summon," said the silver Lion. The other Gems, Naruto, and Gamakitchi and Gamatatsu waved towards Steven as the boy and the two Lions disappeared in a plume of smoke.

***Idai Taiyo Castle***

Jiraiya was sitting on top of Gamabunta while using chakra to keep himself from falling off the giant Toad when he said, "I wonder how Naruto's doing since you told me that your sons had found him." Gamabunta continued hopping through the forest and said, "He's doing alright even after having a couple of close calls; the gaki sure knows how to surprise anyone. Just don't expect me to just bring Naruto here." Jiraiya grumbled until he saw a massive stone castle in the distance.

"Ah, Gamabunta," said Katsuyu in her giant form with Tsunade riding on her head, "how are you? I take it you can't wait to meet the Pride King? It's been quite some time since I last saw him." The giant Toad chuckled as he said, "I wonder what Okina wanted since it's been years since I heard his son had gone missing due to…a certain man." _Danzo,_ Tsunade thought bitterly as she could easily imagine who the Toad was referring to, _you always seem to try and do things your way without even considering what could happen._

The group reached the gates where two large, but not as large as Gamabunta or Katsuyu, golden Lions stood. "Halt!" said the lion on the left with a low, billowing voice, "State your names and reasons for approaching our Great Sun Castle." Gamabunta and Katsuyu lightly bowed their heads as the Toad said, "We, Gamabunta of the Toads and Katsuyu of the Slugs, have arrived for the meeting that the Pride King had called. We have also brought our summoners, Jiraiya for the Toads and Tsunade for the Slugs, as His Majesty requested." Both Lions nodded before turning their heads towards the gate and let out a mighty roar. The gate opened to allow the two boss summons and their summoners to enter.

The group entered the castle when the sound of something tropical echoed through the stone. "It appears the young cub is demonstrating his minstrel skills," said one of the lion escorts, "Our prince had mentioned our summoner's talents in music." This got Gamabunta's attention as he knew that Okina's son had gone missing, but he decided to wait as the sound got louder as they entered the dining room. There, the group saw a small, pudgy boy with curly black hair wearing a red shirt with a yellow star on the front, blue pants, and red-pink sandals holding a small guitar with a flame design on it and sitting next to the boy was a lion with pink fur and a light pink mane. Tsunade and Jiraiya relaxed a bit as they listened to the boy sing while playing his guitar…

**_If you're evil and you're on the run,_**

**_You can count on the five of us taking you down,_**

**_'_****_Cause we are good and evil never beats us,_**

**_We'll win the fight, and then go out for pizzas,_**

**_We are the Crystal Gem,_**

**_We'll always save the day,_**

**_And if you think we can't,_**

**_We'll always find a way!_**

**_That's why the people of this world,_**

**_Believe in,_**

**_Garnet,_**

**_Amethyst,_**

**_Pearl,_**

**_And Naruto,_**

**_And Steven!_**

As the song ended, the many Lions surrounding the boy lightly stomped their paws against the stone floor. "That was a good song, kid," Tsunade said as she and Jiraiya jumped down from their summons and clapped, "Our escort wasn't joking when he said that you had talent for music." The young boy smiled with excitement as he said, "Thanks, I'm just glad that Naruto's alright after that incident."

The two Sannin were about to say something with a lion with silver fur wearing samurai armor coughed a bit and said, "Sir Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade, allow me to introduce to you the Lions' new summoner: Steven Universe." Steven bowed towards the two adults and said, "It nice to meet you two and I'm glad you liked my song."

"It's nice to meet you Steven, I'm Tsunade Senju," said Tsunade as she pointed to her colleague, "and this is Jiraiya. Please forgive him if he acts a bit perverted as he is an author of a certain series of adult literature." Jiraiya scowled a bit and said, "Hey, they're great works of literature! People love my books!"

"So Steven," Tsunade asked as her face held a serious tone, "you mentioned Naruto…how is he?" Steven set his ukulele to the side and said, "Naruto's living with us back home in Beach City. He's really cool!" _Seems like someone looks up to you Naruto,_ Tsunade thought as she moved one of her ponytails behind her shoulders, _You always seem to leave quite the impression on people, Naruto._ "So that's where the brat's been hiding," Jiraiya said with a chuckle, "How is Naruto doing…since he doesn't have any hands after that incident some time ago." Steven looked at the Toad Sage and said, "Oh, he grew his arms back."

"Impossible," said Tsunade with disbelief, "It would be near impossible for Naruto to just regrow a new pair of hands without help. I should know…I…I was the one who had…to amputate them after what one of his former comrades had done to him." Seeing the saddened look on Tsunade's face, Steven placed a hand on the woman's hip and said, "Well, he did have some help from Kurama and he even learned about his cool bloodline; He's a Crystal Gem." Steven turned a bit green at the memory as Jiraiya asked, "Who's Kurama?" The boy quickly regained his color and said, "Kurama's the Kyuubi."

"THE KYUUBI!" both Sannin yelled in shock as Jiraiya then said, "That demon isn't to be trusted as who knows what it could do to Naruto!" Steven held up his hands as back up and said, "Take it easy, Kurama's a nice guy once you get by his coldness and I swear that Kurama hasn't done anything to Naruto aside from helping him along with us train in the shinobi arts." Tsunade rubbed her temples as she thought, _Even when you're not here, Naruto, you're giving me a headache._

A Lion entered the area and said, "The Pride King would like to see Lord Gamabunta and Lady Katsuyu. Lord Safa had already arrived with his…unique summoner who is at the training grounds right now. The rest of you are welcome to make yourselves at home." The two Sannin let out a sigh as who this summoner was that the Lion had mentioned. "Well," said Gamabunta as he and Katsuyu followed the Lion, "see you in a while; Knowing Safa, this meeting will be even longer than planned."

"HOLD IT!" roared a new voice as everyone looked to see Asuma walking next to a monkey with white fur that was slightly taller than him wearing a tiger-striped kimono with white fur trimmings over a black suit that had mesh cloth exposed on his hands and hand-like feet. "Monkey King Enma," the Lion said threateningly as he gave a killing look at the intruder, "_What_ brings you here? You do realize that you are an UN-invited guest, and you know what we do to uninvited guests." Enma crossed his arms and said, "What is going on with this meeting involves not only Konoha, but a SHINOBI of Konoha." The lion looked at Asuma as the shinobi held up his hands and said, "Don't look at me; he dragged me here to be a representative for the monkeys since my nephew's too young!" The Lion looked at the bearded man and sniffed him a bit before he said, "I shall escort Lord Gamabunta, Lady Katsuyu, and…Sir Enma to the meeting hall. You'd do your best to behave yourself…representative."

After the summons left, a Lioness with Egyptian blue fur wearing a mask approached the group and said, "Would you like to meet up with the Tortoises' summoner?" Everyone nodded as they followed the Lioness to the training grounds were Gai was performing push-ups with a lot of shocked looks from many cubs and adolescent lions. "He's human, right?" asked one of the adolescent lions as the others right next to him were just as shocked at the sight, "How is he keeping track?"

"…and 1000!" said Gai as he stood up and dusted himself off before he saw Jiraiya and Tsunade, "Ah, Master Jiraiya, Lady Hokage, it's nice to meet ya both here. Who is this youthful one and why's Asuma here?" Tsunade looked at the taijutsu expert and said, "Gai, this is Steven Universe, the Lions' new summoner. Steven, this is Maito Gai and he may be a bit eccentric, but he is one of our most respected Taijutsu specialists back in Konohagakure, and to answer your question about why Asuma's here, Gai, is that Enma dragged him so that the Monkey King could discuss something with the Pride King." _Oh boy,_ Gai thought as he knew how temperamental the Monkey king can be, _this meeting's going to be even longer now._

Inside a large meeting hall, Gamabunta, Katsuyu, and Enma arrived to see Okina Yama and a small, human-like creature with sea foam green skin, an even darker green shell and shaggy blonde hair that covered half of the creature's face. "Toad-dude! Slug-dudette!" said the creature with a wave of its webbed hand, "Ya finally made it! Why's Monkey-dude here?" _Why was that guy made the boss summon instead of his uncle, Ningame?_ Gamabunta thought as he felt an oncoming headache before he said, "Greetings Safa."

"I see that you have finally been made boss summon," said Okina as he approached the giant Toad, "Swamp Breath." Gamabunta sneered as he said, "At least I'm still scrappy, Furball." Okina snorted as he said, "So you have one scar where I have a Lion with hundreds of scars; I recalled you cared too much about getting the ladies when we were much younger, Wart Face."

"Oh dear," said Katsuyu as she feared the possible fight, "p-please calm down as the meeting has-"

"At least I didn't have to wait for years to get another summoner," Gamabunta said as he edged closer to Okina, "and if I recall correctly, you were just a pervert as I was back in our youth, Ero-Neko."

"Bug Breath!"

"Thug Wannabe!"

"Dudes…"

"At least I can perform hand seals!"

"Gamabunta, please…"

"Well, at least I have claws and teeth!"

"Bros…"

Gamabunta and Okina continued to growl at each other but much to Katsuyu's and Safa's surprise, the Toad and Lion then began to laugh. "Has it really been _that_ long, Bunta?" Okina asked with a smile on his face. "Indeed it has been," said Gamabunta as he wiped away a tear, "old friend. We haven't had our usual greetings in YEARS!" Having enough of the unexplained laughter and confusion, Safa then yelled, "Would one of you dudes PLEASE explain to me and Slug-dudette just what the two of ya are talking about!"

"I guess it has been a long time seeing as Katsuyu-chan and Safa are boss summons now," said Okina thoughtfully as he looked at Gamabunta, "considering the last time we got together was when you were small enough to ride on my head." The giant Toad chuckled and said, "…and you were about the size of Safa here."

"Well anyway," said Okina as his tone grew serious before he noticed Enma, "I do not recall inviting you here, _Monkey King._" Enma snorted as he said, "I invited myself here because your summoner says that one Naruto Uzumaki is living with him in this place called Beach City. Is this true?" Okina eyed the primate and said, "Indeed it is true, but what does my summoner's ally and Gamabunta's recent summoner have to do with this meeting?" Enma bared his teeth angrily as he said, "Because Naruto is a Konoha ninja whose loyalty is WITH Konoha and since his banishment has been lifted, he is to return to Konoha post haste." Letting out a growl and flaring his mane to look like fire, Okina said, "I believe that we should get on with the meeting, agreed?"

"Agreed."

"Of course."

"Sure thing, Bra."

"Whatever."

Okina gave Safa and Enma an annoyed look as he said, "I have called this meeting to announce that we Lions are returning as we have finally found a summoner worthy of our contract." Gamabunta nodded and said, "Steven Universe, correct? My two sons, Gamakitchi and Gamatatsu have told me about him and how he looks at the Toad's recent summoner, Naruto Gemm-Uzumaki, like an older brother." Okina looked at his best friend, but not without seeing the enraged look on Enma's face, and said, "Indeed. But it is sad to say that the Lions are not going to be aligning with Konohagakure anytime soon." Taking a professional stance, Safa then asked, "Why, Lion-dude?" _I feel like hiding in a wardrobe just to get away from not just this insult but that annoying Monkey,_ Okina thought as he let held an annoyed sigh.

Asuma stood by at the side with Tsunade and Gai as Jiraiya and Steven stood in the center of the training ground. The Sarutobi jonin did not like the looks on the Lions' faces as an adolescent lion kicked up dust in his direction showed the shinobi that he wasn't welcomed. _Dammit Enma,_ Asuma cursed the Monkey summon, _Why did you have to bring ME along and not go alone instead?_

"I'm sure that since Kurama is training you and the others the ninja arts," Jiraiya said with a bit of reluctance, "I'm sure you know the many hands signs that ninja can use, correct?" Steven nodded as weaved his hands and performed a Substitution with a nearby training dummy before switching back. "Ah, Substitution," said Jiraiya thoughtfully before he continued the lecture, "Okay, since you know the signs it won't be much trouble. All you have to do is use a little bit of your blood, perform the signs, and then plant your hand on where you want to summon. Watch." Jiraiya bit his thumb before weaving his hands as he said, "Boar-Dog-Bird-Monkey-Ram! Summoning Jutsu!" Jiraiya slammed his hand on the floor and in a plume of smoke, Gamakitchi was there before the two. "Hey, Jiraiya, Steven," said the small Toad as he nodded towards both of them.

"Alright," said Jiraiya as Gamakitchi hopped to his side, "give it a shot." Steven nodded before biting his thumb, cringing a bit, and weaved the signs. "Here goes," said Steven as he slammed his palm on the ground, "Summoning Jutsu!" A plume of smoke erupted and Lion appeared before Jiraiya, startling the Toad Sage. "Wow," said Jiraiya as he was impressed, "I see you have a hang of chakra control." Steven chuckled as he hugged Lion and said, "Well, Kurama hasn't taught me water walking and only lets me train on tree climbing with his or Garnet's supervision. This is Lion, he's my familiar." Lion bowed as he then said, "I am honored to meet the Toad Sage. I am Taiyo-Oji, Prince of the Lions Summons and Familiar for Steven Universe."

"I see that he's comfortable with you calling him Lion," said Jiraiya, "Normally it's not allowed as it's demeaning." Lion smiled a bit and said, "While that is true, Sir Jiraiya, I am comfortable as Steven here has been my friend since I found him in the desert. I was wary of him at first, but I soon found myself attached to him; some may see me as a pet, but I consider myself a close friend." Tsunade gently smiled as Lion gave Steven a lick while Gai had tears running down his cheeks. "To see such a connection between summoner and familiar," Gai said as he sniffled at the beautiful sight before him, "is so youthful!" _Why am I so unlucky?_ Asuma thought as Gai had somehow created an ocean sunset behind himself while Tsunade face palmed at the sight.

With the boss summons, Safa gulped after listening to what Okina had told them about Naruto and said, "Dude, that's not right Bra." Gamabunta nodded and said, "When news of Naruto's supposed death reached us, it had actually saddened me to hear that he had died in such a way. I decided to look at the contract and I was surprised that Naruto's name was still active although I couldn't reverse summon him. I guessed that the gaki was too far away or somewhere that chakra didn't exist."

"So what happened afterwards?" Safa asked as he was sitting cross-legged, "I mean, did the village send out a team to go look for the little dude?" Gamabunta shook his head as he said, "When I told Jiraiya about Naruto still being alive, he thought of having Tsunade send some teams to go look for him. I then told him that it wouldn't work as Naruto was outside of the Elemental Countries, making some means of tracking him near impossible save for the old fashion way: ask around and pray that the lead is true. I've never seen a man so disheartened." Okina nodded in understanding as he said, "It is never a good sight to see a strong summoner so disheartened about someone close to them. Hashirama was the same way when his wife had the Kyuubi sealed into her."

"So what are we going to do now, Bras?" Safa then asked as he reached for a large leaf and took a bite out of it. "Well I for one am going to take Naruto back with us!" said Enma as he took a few steps before the boss summons, "Naruto BELONGS to Konohagakure as he is its shinobi!" Gamabunta shook his head as he said, "I don't think that would be wise, Enma; Naruto has finally found a place where he belongs and we cannot just take him away from that." Okina nodded as he added, "I agree with you, old friend. Konohagakure seemed more like a prison than a home to the blonde as the scouts and Sphinxes have revealed that there are still those who would wish death for the boy. My summoner could also use some extra training from Naruto and the Kyuubi as the life of a Crystal Gem's is never one of simplicity."

"Bah!" said Enma as he crossed his arms, "A ninja's life is even harder as they CAN die instead of being cowards and hiding away in those pathetic rocks." A loud and powerful roar echoed through the room, shaking the castle, as Okina said, "You DARE insult not only the respected Crystal Gems, but my summoner as well as his mother was also a Crystal Gem before she gave up her physical form to bring Steven into the world!"

Wanting to avoid a fight, Katsuyu said, "But what about the people who care for Naruto-kun? Do you not think about how badly they would miss him? Tsunade-sama had told me the many times her apprentice, Hinata-chan, seemed so distant with her crush on Naruto on her mind. Even Gai's own apprentice had fallen out of his normal character for half a month after Naruto-kun's banishment."

"See, _Pride King,_" said Enma as he challenged Okina, "you are not only keeping Naruto from performing his duties as a shinobi, but you are keeping him away from those who truly care about him instead those cowards who are probably thinking of using him." _That's not what I was going for,_ Katsuyu thought as she wished she had hands so she could face palm herself. "I know that the Crystal Gems would never do such things to Naruto as they love him with one of them just happened to adopt him as her son while another shows desire for him which he also shows desire for," said Okina as he was starting to lose his patience with the Monkey King, "I am NOT going to do that as it would also be against my own summoner."

"Your summoner couldn't even last even a single year in the academy or even his first mission outside of this Beach City," Enma said as he remembered seeing the small boy, "He doesn't even look strong enough to defend himself." Finally having enough, Okina let out an even louder roar as he said, "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR TONGUE, MONKEY! First, you rudely shoved yourself into a meeting that you had no business with. Then you suggest we take a boy who desperately needs family and love and put him in a place that would rather see him suffer even after his death. Finally…finally you had the GALL to insult MY summoner who is still JUST LEARNING the shinobi arts; THIS I WILL NOT TOLERATE! Now, before I decide on something I may regret in the future, we shall take a vote on how to handle Naruto Gemm's situation. I vote that the cub shall stay with the Crystal Gems for my stated reasons."

"I second that," said Gamabunta as he was disappointed with Enma, "not only because Okina is my friend, but I too believe that this is what the boy needs. If we take him away from that, we would be no better than that war monger, Danzo."

"I agree with Gamabunta and Okina-sama," said Katsuyu, "While I may not know much about Naruto-kun, but I do believe that this will help the boy as I believe that the Crystal Gems along with Universe-san will remain true to being Naruto's friends."

"I can't believe this!" Enma said as he threw his hands in the air, "I had expected this from Gamabunta as Naruto UZUMAKI is the Toads' summoner, but you Katsuyu? I vote that we take the Uzumaki back to Konohagakure as the boy knows viable secrets that belong to the village; he even had access to the Forbidden Scroll at one point so what else aside from the Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"I assure you Enma that Naruto Gemm does not know any other secret aside from him being not only the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, but being the son of the very man, the Yondaime Hokage, who sealed the fox inside of him." Okina said as he got an appalled look from the Monkey. "YOU TOLD HIM WHO HIS FATHER WAS?! The boy's not ready to learn that secret!" Enma shouted, "He wasn't supposed to learn that until the boy had turned sixteen or made chunin!"

Turning to Safa as the boss summon was remaining quiet, Enma said, "Well, Safa, what do _you_ say? You're the boss summon for both the tortoises AND the turtles since they got tired of the confusion summoners have made between them. What do _you_ think should happen with the UZUMAKI boy?" Safa gulped a bit as he was beginning to get intimidated by the Monkey as he said, "I-I-I don't know…Monkey-dude does make a point about Naruto possibly knowing more and being the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, but what Mankey-dude is suggesting is gnarly, and not the good, awesome gnarly, and I can't really do that to the little dude." The kappa was feeling nervous as he just became a boss summon for both the tortoises and turtles and while he knew that he couldn't be his usual self and surf the many waves of life, he wasn't expecting this. _Old Man, Tobs,_ Safa thought as he silently asked his father and his idol while feeling the expected eyes of his fellow boss summons, _what do I do?_

A couple of hours of waiting, everyone stood in the dining area as the boss summons appeared. "We have come to a decision about Naruto Gemm-Uzumaki," said Okina as his voice grabbed everyone's attention, "The Cub will be staying with our summoner, Steven Universe, and the Crystal Gems instead of returning to Konohagakure. Mind you that this is for the best interest for the cub as this was agreed in a 4-1 vote among us." Jiraiya, Tsunade, Gai, and Asuma were disheartened by the decision as who know when, or even if, they would get to see Naruto again. "I shall also announce that while the Lions will be returning and helping shinobi of Konohagakure, we will not be aligning with Konohagakure until otherwise noted," Okina added as he looked at the four shinobi before him. _No surprise there,_ all Konoha shinobi thought as there were still people who wanted Naruto's head on a pike. "You may now take your leave," Okina finished before returning to his chambers.

"Hey, Steven," said Jiraiya as he held a small package with a note, "think you could deliver this to Naruto…at least for us." As Steven took the package into his arms, Tsunade also approached and said, "I would also like this note delivered to Naruto as well." The Slug Sannin handed the boy a folded letter. "Could you also tell Naruto that Lee and I send our regards and hope that his Flames of Youth still burn as bright as they have been," said Gai as he was walking alongside Safa. "I'll make sure he gets them," said Steven as he memorized everything, "Farewell!"

As the two Sannin rode on the boss summons, Tsunade could help but ask, "Did we do the right thing, Jiraiya?" The Toad Sage let out a sigh as he said, "I'm not quite sure about your decisions, but I know that I should have done better for the blonde. I was spending too much time with both my 'research' and my spy network, using up the gaki's hard-earned money, but worst of all…I wasn't even there for him when I was supposed to be. I honestly think that Orochimaru would have done better than I would; at least the teme would have been there for the boy, even though for possibly the wrong reasons." Tsunade was a bit surprised at her colleague's tone, but then again…was she any better?

***Beach City; Crystal Temple***

Steven and Lion had returned to the temple thanks to the help of Yukan where they saw Naruto and the others enjoying some pizza. "Hey, Steven," said Naruto as he placed a slice on a plate and handed it to the smaller boy, "how were things at the meeting?" Steven took the plate as he said, "Well, there was an uninvited guest and what sounded like a bit of trouble, but everything had worked out alright. Okina and a few others decided to let you stay here with us!" Everyone smiled as Steven then asked, "So how were things here?"

The four were quiet as they looked at each other before Naruto said, "Not much really; just a slow day that's all." Steven looked and saw a blush form on Pearl's face, Amethyst trying to hold her laughter, and Garnet's ever stoic face. "Don't worry about it, Steven," said Garnet with her stoic tone, "it was just a normal day."

Steven shrugged his shoulders before handing Naruto the package and running outside with Amethyst following him. Naruto let out a held breath as he said, "Thanks, Mom. I'd rather not have to talk about _that_ to Steven." Pearl composed herself as she then said, "Yeah, it was bad enough that the whole ordeal just felt weird…no offense, Naruto." Garnet looked at the two and said, "You do realize that Amethyst may tell Steven about her day." Both Naruto and Pearl paled before rushing out the door and calling out to Amethyst and Steven, not noticing a chuckle escaping Garnet's throat.

"She wouldn't really tell Steven about that accident," said Gamakitchi with a smirk on his face, "would she." Garnet smiled as she said, "Amethyst isn't really like that…I thought it would be funny to mess with those two a bit." Both the Toad and the Gem gave each other a high-five at the prank, knowing that it was going to be fun with Naruto around.

**Now that Naruto is staying with the Crystal Gems, what will happen? What happened between Pearl and Naruto? Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja Ne**


	11. Chapter 10 Half

**I do not own Naruto or Steven Universe.**

**This chapter will show what had happened while Steven was away and why Pearl and Naruto decided to chase after Amethyst at the end.**

"Believe in Steven!" normal speech

_"Believe in Steven!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Believe in Steven!"** demon speech

Chapter 10.5: The Topaz Switch

***Beach City; Crystal Temple***

Steven and Lion had just left with Yukan when Naruto turned to face the Crystal Gems and asked, "So what happened when I was recovering? By how Steven's room looked, I'd say a war happened." The blonde saw the hesitant look on Pearl's face before Amethyst said, "Pearl was hit pretty hard after what had happened; she wouldn't even leave her room." Shocked, Naruto looked at the pale Gem as she nodded her to answer the question on the blonde's mind. "I'm so sorry, Hime," Naruto said as he hugged Pearl, mentally noting that he was somehow a bit taller than before, "I didn't mean to scare you that badly…I was sort of surprised when all that happened. I don't even remember anything after I told you guys that I was going to be fine."

_Should I tell him that Steven and I met his birth mother?_ Pearl asked herself as she returned the hug. Thinking on how Naruto reacted to learning who his father was, how would the blonde react to learning who his mother was? Would he be just as upset, or even more since this was his mother, the woman who gave birth to him? Making a quick decision, Pearl thought that it would be best to wait until Naruto was ready. _I hate to do it,_ the Gem thought as she and Naruto ended the hug, _but I couldn't bear to see you in more pain._

"How about a quick mission inside the temple?" said Garnet, getting an excited look from Naruto, "The magic in one of the areas appears to be unstable and we should investigate." Garnet and Naruto picked up Gamatatsu and Gamakitchi and let them sit on their heads as everyone entered the temple to begin the mission. "So what are we going to have to expect?" Naruto asked with Gamakitchi sitting on his head. "We're just going to do some investigating," Garnet said, "like I said earlier, the magic in one of the areas appears to be unstable and we need to see what is wrong and try to correct it."

Once they found the area, Naruto's eyes widened at the beauty of it: there were crystal all around with a heavy, mystical feel to it while a few crystals were floating. "Wow," said Gamakitchi as he observed the area, "this is amazing!" Everyone split up to investigate the area as Garnet told them to alert everyone for something suspicious. Naruto looked around and even though the surrounding crystals were amazing to look at, he knew that he had to keep his focus.

"Hey Naruto," said Gamakitchi as he pointed to an odd-looking crystal on the ground, "what's that?" The blonde kneeled down as he called Pearl to him before picking up the crystal with the small Toad hopping down from Naruto's cranium. "What did you find?" Pearl asked as Naruto held up the odd crystal, "Whoa, be careful with that!" Pearl quickly took the crystal out of Naruto's hand before the two of them were enveloped in a bright light. "What's going on?" said Gamakitchi as he had to cover his eyes to shield them from the bright light, "Pearl! Naruto!"

The light faded as Pearl and Naruto looked to see the odd crystal disintegrate in Pearl's hands. "Oh that's great," said Naruto with slight irritation behind a punctual voice that was too similar to Pearl's voice, "now we'll never find out what that crystal did." Pearl looked at Naruto with pure shock in her eyes. "Uh…" the Gem asked with a disbelieving tone in her voice that mimicked Naruto's maturing voice, "Why am I looking at myself?" Naruto looked Pearl before doing a quick back and forth look between Pearl and himself. "Na…Na…Naruto?" Naruto asked Pearl with his skin starting to pale. "Hime?" Pearl asked Naruto with a look on her face that was signaling a scream. The two touched each other's faces with a shaking hand before touching their own.

Silence echoed through the area before a scream from Pearl broke the silence as Gamakitchi watched the normally poised and collected Gem was now running around in complete panic. "This can't be happening to me!" Pearl yelled as she grabbed her hair in fright, "I know I have a jutsu that turns me into a girl, but this is too far!" Naruto held up his hands to try and calm Pearl down as he said, "Now take it easy Naruto, I'm sure that Garnet can think of something to fix us."

"Wait a minute," said Gamakitchi as he looked at the two before he realized something, "Pearl…Naruto…did you two…switch bodies?" Naruto (Pearl) nervously chuckled and said, "I guess so, Gamakitchi, I mean how else could Naruto's voice come from MY body?" Pearl (Naruto) accidentally crashed into Naruto (Pearl) before their tumble resulted with Pearl's body sitting on top of Naruto's body. The two looked at each other with blushes on their cheeks as they stared into each other's eyes. _I never knew my eyes were so beautiful,_ the two of them thought as they were about to go into a kiss when a voice interrupted them.

"I guess you couldn't wait for your first time," said Amethyst as she and Garnet entered with Gamatatsu sitting on Garnet's afro, "You really wanted to be on top that badly, huh?" The two looked at the trio and quickly backed away from each other Pearl (Naruto) said, "I-I-It wasn't like that I swear!" Naruto (Pearl) blushed brightly as he said, "Amethyst! How could you say something like that in front of my boyfriend?!" Amethyst looked at the two as she barely contained her laughter before falling and rolling all around the floor in a huge laughing fit. "You guys…hahahaha…you guys switched bodies?" the purple Gem asked as she reigned in her laughter. "Could you please not make this any more embarrassing than what it is now, Ammy-nee?" Pearl (Naruto) asked as embarrassment was written all over Pearl's face. Hearing Naruto's voice coming from Pearl's body made Amethyst laugh harder that before while Pearl and Naruto hung their heads in shame.

After Pearl, in Naruto's body, explained to Garnet what had happened that caused the two to somehow switch bodies, Garnet decided to take Pearl and Naruto back to Steven's room as she knew that the two of them would have slight…difficulties due to what had happened. Naruto, in Pearl's body, stared at his current body as he thought, _I have boobs for real now…I'm stuck in a girl's body. Not just any girl's body…but Pearl-hime's._ Pearl herself was having a bit difficult walking in Naruto's body as it felt so weird and odd. _At least better me than Amethyst,_ Pearl thought in slight victory, _Who knows what kind of trouble she could get Naruto in._

The group had made it to Steven's room as Garnet said, "You two are to wait until we figure out how to fix this." Naruto looked at Garnet and said, "We want to help, Kaa-san, as we can't be stuck in each other's bodies!" Pearl looked at Garnet with expectations as it did sound weird for her body to call the older Gem mother. "I'm sorry, but with the two of you are not in your proper bodies," Garnet said with a stern voice, "who knows what could happen if neither of you can summon each other's weapons. Just stay put and don't get into trouble." _Easy for you to say,_ both Pearl and Naruto thought as the door to the deeper parts of the temple closed, _you're not stuck in the body of the boy/girl you really like._

Some time had passed and Pearl was outside near what was left of her favorite tree. _I am going to have a serious talk with Steven about this,_ Pearl thought as she pinched the bridge of Naruto's nose, _hopefully after I get my body back AND before Steven returns._ Letting out a sigh, Pearl decided to sit at the trunk and began to meditate as she began to find her center…

***Mindscape***

Pearl opened her eyes to suddenly find herself in some sort of moist cave and in her original body. "How did I get here?" Pearl asked herself before she saw a giant cage. **"Pearl?"** said a low, echoing voice as said Gem looked to see a giant red fox looking at her with shock. Taking a few seconds to gather her thoughts, Pearl raised an eyebrow and asked, "Kurama? Is that you?"

**"****Of course,"** said Kurama as his voice echoed through the cave, **"You're inside the Kit's mindscape. Not much to see in a sewer, but what can I say as mental and physical abuse does this kind of crap to the mind."** Feeling her skin crawl at the thought of being IN a sewer, Pearl asked, "How do I get out of here?" Kurama chuckled as he said, **"Just stop meditating or I could kick you out, but there's something I want to ask you."** Wanting to make this quick, Pearl asked, "What do you want?"

**"****What happened when Naruto retreated into the gems?"** the giant fox asked, **"I try to remember, but even I'm drawing a blank."** Pearl told Kurama about how Naruto's gems were in her possession due to her depressed state and when she had met Kushina, getting a surprised look from the fox. **"Impossible,"** Kurama said with shock on his face, **"I saw Kushina die the night she gave birth to Naruto as she was my previous jailor. Are you sure it was her?"** Pearl nodded as she described the woman's appearance down to a T. **"That's Kushina Uzumaki alright,"** Kurama said with slight confusion in his voice, **"but it doesn't make since as I remember Minato sealing me and only me inside the kit before the Sharingan's effects had worn off."**

"Do you have any idea as to why Kushina appeared?" Pearl asked the fox. **"I really cannot say,"** Kurama said before recalled how Kushina then turned into Naruto, **"I may have an idea, but I really cannot explore it as that would involve tampering with the seal that binds me inside Naruto. I can't even get close enough to touch it without any kind of backlash, since I am a demon."**

_I wonder how Naruto's doing?_ Pearl thought with concern on her face as who knows how Naruto was going through this.

***Beach City; Crystal Temple***

Naruto was lying on the couch as he stared into the ceiling after Gamakitchi and Gamatatsu had left a few minutes ago. _I know that I've used my Sexy Jutsu a few times in the past,_ Naruto thought as he looked at the pale hand that belonged to Pearl's body, _but to actually HAVE a girl's body…it feels so weird._ The shinobi sat up as he tried to think of what to do as he really couldn't train as much since he couldn't bring out Pearl's weapon or injure her body. He wasn't even hungry or tired since his girlfriend is a full-blooded Gem, but he was getting bored. "Maybe some very light exercises might help me get my mind off things," Naruto said as he got to his feet and stretched a bit before Pearl entered, "Hey Pearl-hime, how are you doing?"

"Hungry," said Pearl as she held Naruto's stomach as she looked through the cabinets, "I've never actually felt hunger like this." Naruto walked over and pulled out a couple cups of ramen before putting a pot of water on the stovetop. Once the ramen was done, Naruto handed Pearl a bowl of ramen and watched her dig almost furiously into the meal. "Thanks for fixing this," Pearl said after she slurped a few noodles, "This is really good." Naruto chuckled as he sat next to Pearl and began eating his bowl of ramen.

"I take it that Kurama showed you some of my memories," Naruto said as Pearl froze a bit. Setting the fork aside, Pearl said, "Only the ones he allowed me to see. I…I never knew what you had to go through." Naruto sadly smiled as he said, "Yeah, my life was never easy, even after I graduated from the academy." Pearl looked at Naruto and asked, "Do you miss him…the Sandaime?" Naruto carefully leaned back as he said, "From time to time, yeah, but then at times I wonder what else he had kept hidden from me; I trusted Jiji and yet I keep wondering why he would dance around the subject of my parents. If he had said that they were great shinobi who had many enemies, then I would have understood. Maybe I-"

_*Ker-bam!*_

Naruto and Pearl looke to see Garnet and Amethyst fighting some sort of large scorpion monster with a gem on its skull. "Garnet! Amethyst!" said Pearl in shock, "What is that?!"

"Get back!" Garnet said as punched the squid, "It's too dangerous; Let Amethyst and I take care of this!" Not wanting to stand by, Naruto went to summon his claws before seeing that he was in PEARL'S body and not his own. "Dammit!" Naruto cursed before he place his hands into a seal, "Time for the old fashion way! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Plumes of smoke appeared to reveal two dead-looking Pearl clones while Naruto fell to a knee from fatigue. "Naruto," said Pearl as she helped Naruto up, "What happened?"

**"****Your body must not have enough chakra for the kit to use the Shadow Clone Jutsu,"** said Kurama, **"while you have Naruto's nearly endless chakra!"** _So what do I do?_ Pearl thought as she watched Garnet and Amethyst pull the scorpion out onto the beach, still struggling with it, _I can't perform any of Naruto's jutsus!_ Kurama growled as he knew that he couldn't just show Pearl the jutsus that the blonde had used so many times as Pearl would just be learning them. Soon an idea entered the demon's mind.

**"****You and the kit have to fuse,"** said Kurama as he got Pearl's attention. "What?!" Pearl said out loud as Naruto looked at her in surprise. "What is it Pearl-hime?" Naruto asked in sudden shock. Pearl looked at Naruto and said, "Kurama says that the only way to help Garnet and Amethyst would be to fuse, but I'm not sure if you're ready!" A yell was heard from outside as the two looked through the window to see the scorpion beginning to get the upper hand on Garnet and Amethyst. "Pearl," said Naruto with fire in his eyes, "We have to fuse." Seeing no choice, Pearl let out a sigh and said, "Alright, but we have to make this count."

Outside, Garnet and Amethyst were trying to free themselves but the poison in their bodies had drained their energies. Garnet saw her vision begin to get dark before a flash of light shone as the Gem saw a large shadow rush in and kicked the large monster away. Now safe from the creature's reach, Garnet and Amethyst were trying to get up before feeling a hand on their shoulders. "Take it easy you two," said a voice in a light and kind tone, "Let me take care of the poison." A light jab was felt as both Gems felt the poison somehow leaving their bodies through the small puncture wounds. "Thanks," said Garnet as she looked up to see a young man with golden orange skin and spikey blonde-orange hair that looked like fire. The man was also wearing navy blue pants and a light blue shirt as an orange jacket with a star in the center was draped on his shoulders like a cape.

Amethyst shook her head and looked at her and Garnet's savior and was surprised to find the figure was as tall as Opal! The young man turned to face the scorpion while swishing something in his mouth. "You two stay back," said the young man before spitting out a bluish-black liquid onto the sand, "I'll handle this. Name's Topaz by the way." The two Gems saw an orange, oval topaz stone in the man's forehead and two orange, square topaz stones in the man's forearms a few inches above his wrists. _No way,_ both Garnet and Amethyst thought in surprise at the sight before them, _Pearl and Naruto fused!_

Topaz stared at the large monster with determination and a playful smirk as he said, "I'm your opponent now." The scorpion then stabbed the giant with its stinger, but Topaz only blinked slowly with an unimpressed look on his face. "You think your poison will harm me?" said Topaz as his body had somehow absorbed the poison before spitting out the same dark liquid from earlier, "I'm immune. You on the other hand…" The giant then grabbed the stinger in a tight grip as he finished, "are in a world of hurt!" Topaz gave appendage a quick elbow smash and broke the stinger with ease.

The scorpion reeled back from the injury as it bared its jagged teeth that were dripping with saliva. "Heh," Topaz chuckled with a smirk on his face, "I've seen scarier nightmares than that." Topaz then summoned Naruto's claws before bringing out Pearl's spear from the topaz on his forehead with both hands as he then said, "Here's the cool part." The weapons fused to form a long, orange chain with a spiked ball on one end and a tri-pronged dagger on the other. Garnet and Amethyst soon saw Topaz vanish in front of them as sand and dust flew upwards on its own. The monster let out a screech as it charged towards the two Gems as the giant was nowhere in sight before sending out its large pincers towards them. The appendages were about halfway to the duo when they were suddenly sliced off by some invisible force. "I thought I was your opponent?" Topaz asked as the severed appendages vanished into a cloud of smoke before the scorpion let out a screech.

Topaz soon appeared out of thin air with the spiked ball spinning in the air before throwing it towards the monster, landing a direct blow to its face. The giant then jumped into the air as the dagger was now spinning in the air before launching the attack towards the scorpion. "Time to finish this," said Topaz as the dagger had stabbed itself into the monster before the giant began to fall towards the scorpion. The monster didn't have enough time to dodge the incoming attack as Topaz slammed into it with force similar to a small meteorite.

The dust soon settled to reveal Topaz casually tossing the gemstone into the air and catching it with the chain nowhere to be found. "What do you guys think?" Topaz asked with a confident smirk as Garnet and Amethyst got to their feet. "You guys were AWESOME!" said Amethyst as she ran up to the giant, noting how small she was as she only reached up to Topaz's knees. "You two did great," Garnet said with a smile on her face, "especially for your first fusion." The giant chuckled sheepishly as he leaned back a bit and said, "Nothing to it, Garnet-sama."

A bright light shone as Topaz was now split back into Naruto and Pearl with the two looking a bit dizzy. "Whoa," said Naruto has he held his head, "headrush." Pearl looked at Naruto and said, "You get used to it, Naruto." The two then looked at each other to see that they were staring at each other…back in their original bodies. "Alright!" Naruto cheered as he pumped his fists, "I'm back in my own body! This is great!" Pearl smiled as she did a small twirl and said, "I agree Naruto. There's a saying that in order to know someone that you have to walk a mile in their shoes; they probably didn't mean switching bodies though." Naruto chuckled as he and the others walked towards the temple to wait for Steven's return.

Steven and Lion had returned to the temple in a plume of smoke as Naruto and the others enjoying some pizza with Gamakitchi and Gamatatsu joining them nearby. "Hey, Steven," said Naruto as he placed a slice on a plate and handed it to the smaller boy, "how were things at the meeting?" Steven took the plate as he said, "Well, there was an uninvited guest and what sounded like a bit of trouble, but everything had worked out alright. Okina and a few others decided to let you stay here with us!" Everyone smiled as Steven then asked, "So how were things here?"

The four were quiet as they looked at each other before Naruto said, "Not much really; just a slow day that's all." Steven looked and saw a blush form on Pearl's face, Amethyst trying to hold her laughter, and Garnet's ever stoic face. "Don't worry about it, Steven," said Garnet with her stoic tone, "it was just a normal day."

Steven shrugged his shoulders before handing Naruto the package and running outside with Amethyst following him. Naruto let out a held breath as he said, "Thanks, Mom. I'd rather not have to talk about _that_ to Steven." Pearl composed herself as she then said, "Yeah, it was bad enough that the whole ordeal just felt weird…no offense, Naruto." Garnet looked at the two and said, "You do realize that Amethyst may tell Steven about her day." Both Naruto and Pearl paled before rushing out the door and calling out to Amethyst and Steven, not noticing a chuckle escaping Garnet's throat.

"She wouldn't really tell Steven about that accident," said Gamakitchi with a smirk on his face, "would she." Garnet smiled as she said, "Amethyst isn't really like that…I thought it would be funny to mess with those two a bit." Both the Toad and the Gem gave each other a high-five at the prank, knowing that it was going to be fun with Naruto around.

**No wonder Pearl and Naruto were acting awkward about their day. Still, the Gems now have a new giant on their side by the name of Topaz. I used some information about the topaz gemstone and the orange topaz for the idea of Topaz. Information about how many cultures believe the topaz to be connected to the sun, able to detect poison, and supposedly grants invisibility. I decided to have Topaz's weapon similar to the kusari-gama as chains can be used as weapons from time to time. Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne!**


	12. Chapter 11

**I do not own Naruto, Steven Universe, or The One That Got Away. They belong to their respective artists.**

"Believe in Steven!" normal speech

_"Believe in Steven!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Believe in Steven!"** demon speech

Chapter 11: Connecting Souls

***Beach City; Crystal Temple***

Naruto was sitting in kitchen area with Connie as Steven was getting things ready for something. "So what are you two doing again?" Naruto asked as he noted some of the food Steven was gathering, "Going on a picnic?" Connie looked at the blonde before her and said, "We're actually going to go see a movie, _Dogcopter 3._ I've heard it was pretty good." Naruto watched the trailer before falling over laughing at the idea of a dog-shaped helicopter flying around and shooting missiles from its rear.

"I'll be back in a moment," said Steven as she rushed towards the restroom, "need to go take care of something." Connie gave Naruto another look and saw that the blonde was dress nicely but not overly fancy and asked, "So what about you? You have any plans?" Naruto chuckled as he said, "Well since I'm not grounded anymore, Peral-hime and I are going on a date later when she returns. I'm actually kind of nervous about this?" Connie didn't ask about it as she had an idea as to why since hearing that speech the blonde had given with the mayor.

"I really don't see how the people back at your home couldn't see that they were hurting someone as special as you," Connie said with a mixture of sympathy and hidden anger. Naruto shrugged his shoulders without a care and said, "Even though I had some people who cared about me, I'm not really that phased about being so far away. I'm here in Beach City now with people I consider not just precious, but special to me." Connie smiled sadly as she said, "I wouldn't know about having someone special to me…there's not really that much about me that is special."

"That's not true, Connie-chan," Naruto said with a bit of shock on his face, "You are special." The girl sighed before she said, "Only to my overprotective parents, and they won't let me be like normal children." The blonde let out a sigh of his own as he said, "You forgot one person, Connie-chan. Steven sees you as someone special to him." Naruto took a quick glance towards the bathroom and said, "Steven cares a lot about you as he would go out of his way to see that you are safe and happy. You ARE special, as there are people who look to you as someone precious and special."

"But what about all those powers you have," Connie stated feeling a little down, "You can create spheres of energies, summon Toads, create clones of yourself, and even walk on water! I'll I got for me are my skills at tennis and my knowledge." Naruto sighed as he knew that he was pretty impressive to some as one of the Frymans…Ronaldo, was it…had kept asking him so much about what the Shinobi Lands, as everyone called it, were like and even asked about the other Hokages. Of course, 'Agent' Kurama would step in and tell them that Naruto really couldn't divulge a lot information so loosely as the Shinobi Lands were surrounded in secrets and chakra. "I guess I am _kind of_ impressive," the blonde said with a sheepish chuckle, "but to be honest…I'm…kind of jealous of you, Steven, and some of the others here in Beach City."

Seeing the confusion on the girl's face, Naruto decided to let her know a few things as he said, "Before I arrived here…before Garnet had become my mother…I was actually the jealous and envious type." Naruto chuckled as he saw the stunned look on Connie before he continued, "Yeah. I would see so many children out there with their family while I really had no one; sure I had a few friends, but that's it…I had friends, but what I wanted most…was a family. Iruka-sensei was like a brother to me in more ways than one: he lost his family to the Kyuubi Attack, he was a goofball, and importantly…he was like me…alone."

"When I was in Team 7," Naruto continued, holding back the small tears slowly forming in his eyes, "I thought that I would finally have people I could call a family. Too bad Kakashi-sensei had lousy timing and always doted on Sasuke while that teme would belittle me as Sakura would hit me for even the dumbest of reasons to me. Yeah I was annoying, but she didn't have to hit me all the time. I had even wanted to spend time with them, but they just shook me off." Connie could see the burning anger in Naruto's eyes and see the undeniable hurt in them as well. "I then met Pervy Sage," Naruto said as this got a slight agitated twitch from the girl's eye, "Like Kakashi, he didn't do much aside from teaching me how to summon as well as teaching me the Rasengan…even if I had to use a little…incentive."

"Finally," Naruto said as he looked at the small necklace around his neck, "Finally there was Tsunade-baa-chan as even though she was cranky with me at times, I could easily tell that she loved me like family. Steven was able to deliver a letter to me that was from Baa-chan; she misses me so much as she sometimes wish I was there for her to scold at for calling her Baa-chan and at one point she even had one of my friends address her like that…but it wasn't the same for her as it seemed like only I could have done that with that certain flare that I have."

Successfully blinking the tears away, Naruto then said, "What I'm trying to get at is that even though you don't believe yourself to be special, there are always those who will remind you that you ARE special to them, be it Steven or your parents. I know I will pass this knowledge seeing how my Uzumaki blood will let me see my grandchildren's grandchildren." Connie laughed as Naruto's words echoed in her head and couldn't help but know that the blonde was right: there were people who see her as special. Steven returned as Naruto got off of the chair and said, "I better get ready for my date. You two have fun and stay out of trouble." Connie watched with hidden sadness as she saw Naruto as the boy who knew the true meaning of being alone.

A couple of hours had passed as Naruto was waiting in Steven's room for Pearl to arrive with the nervous feeling in his gut still present. "Relax, Kit," said 'Agent' Kurama as he was sitting on the couch next to Amethyst with Gamakitchi and Gamatatsu sitting on the floor, "You've face two powerful rogue ninjas, a training ground that even ANBU would rarely set foot in, Jiraiya's and Tsunade's former comrade, twice I might add, and even took a Chidori to the chest along with other things and you get butterflies over a single date? How pathetic is that?" Naruto looked at the possessed clone and said, "Shut up! This is very important to me and you know it!"

The door to the deeper parts of the temple opened to reveal Garnet walking out with Pearl following her. The pale Gem was wearing a yellow sundress along with a matching sunhat that hid the pearl on her forehead. "Wow, Pearl-hime," Naruto said with a slight blush on his face at the sight of Pearl, "you look amazing!" Pearl blushed as she thanked the blonde with a small kiss to the cheek. "The date hasn't even started and you're getting lucky," Kurama joked, much to the couple's embarrassment, "You'll probably be sharing the same bed by the end of this week!"

"SHUT UP!" both Pearl and Naruto yelled with bright blushes on their faces while Kurama and Amethyst were laughing at the couple's embarrassment. After the two calmed down, Garnet looked at Naruto and Pearl and said, "You two have a wonderful time and be on your best behavior, Naruto." Garnet watched the two walk out of the temple with motherly pride on her face as she knew that her son was in good hands.

***Konohagakure***

Sakura was walking through the village with a solemn look on her face as everywhere she turned and look, there were couples together and being happy and in love. _Love…_the rosette thought as her mind wandered towards Naruto,_ All Naruto had ever wanted was my love, but I had never given any of it as all I focused on was Sasuke…I wonder if things could have been different if I had at least gave Naruto some attention._ Sakura continued to think of her teammate as she began to sing a song she had heard once before to herself…

**_Summer after highschool,_**

**_When we first met,_**

**_We'd make out in your mustang,_**

**_To Radiohead,_**

**_And on my 18_****_th_****_ birthday,_**

**_We got matching tattoos._**

**_Used to steal your parents' liquor,_**

**_And climb to the roof,_**

**_Talk about our future,_**

**_Like we had a clue,_**

**_Never planned that one day,_**

**_I'd be losing you._**

Sakura thought of the times where she would dream about being with her Sasuke-kun, but instead, she replaced the Uchiha with Naruto as she could somehow imagine herself having fun with the blonde. With a sad smile, Sakura decided to continue on with the song…

**_In another life,_**

**_I would be your girl,_**

**_We'd keep all our promises,_**

**_Be us against the world._**

**_In another life,_**

**_I would make you stay,_**

**_So I don't have to say,_**

**_You were the one that got away._**

**_The one that got away._**

Sakura continued to walk as this pain could have easily been avoided if she hadn't been so stupid. _And I was supposed to be the smart one,_ the rosette thought darkly as she felt sick of herself for what she had done to Naruto for just fulfilling out his promise to her. _If I had a chance…I would say that I am so sorry for what I have done to you as things here just seem so…dead._

At the Hyuuga Estate, Hinata was taking a break from her studies as Naruto was still on her mind. _Why did you have to leave, Naruto-kun,_ Hinata thought as she blamed herself for not being brave enough to confess to her crush. She remembered a song she had heard some time ago as she began to sing…

**_I was June and you were my Johnny Cash,_**

**_Never one without the other, we made a pact,_**

**_Sometimes when I miss you,_**

**_I put those records on._**

**_Someone said you had your tattoo removed,_**

**_Saw you downtown,_**

**_Singing the Blues,_**

**_It's time to face the music,_**

**_I'm no longer your muse._**

Hinata was thinking about all the times she had seen how hard Naruto had worked himself. She had even seen the times where Naruto wasn't the ball of sunshine that people would see, but instead someone filled with the most darkest of despair. Now that Naruto was miles, maybe even oceans, away, Hinata had never let the blonde know…

**_In another life,_**

**_I would be your girl,_**

**_We'd keep all our promises,_**

**_Be us against the world._**

**_In another life,_**

**_I would make you stay,_**

**_So I don't have to say,_**

**_You were the one that got away._**

**_The one that got away._**

**_The one…_**

**_The one…_**

**_The one…_**

**_The one that got away._**

Seeing her family heritage and riches, Hinata would rather burn it all if it meant getting her Naruto back. She knew that money could never give her what she wanted and Hinata would even give up not only her title as Heiress to the Hyuuga Clan, but her eyes as well if she could see Naruto. Sakura was in a jewelry store as she looked at all of the beautiful rings on display and even if it was the cheapest ring Naruto would get her, she would wear it proudly if things were different. _Too bad that will never happen now,_ Sakura thought as she left the store with a dark cloud over her head as she and Hinata continued their song…

**_All this money can't buy me a time machine._**

**_Can't replace you with a million rings._**

**_I should've told you what you mean to me._**

**_'_****_Cause now I pay the price._**

**_In another life,_**

**_I would be your girl,_**

**_We'd keep all our promises,_**

**_Be us against the world._**

**_In another life,_**

**_I would make you stay,_**

**_So I don't have to say,_**

**_You were the one who got away._**

**_The one who got away._**

**_The one…_**

**_The one…_**

**_The one…_**

**_In another life,_**

**_I would make you stay,_**

**_So I don't have to say,_**

**_You were the one who got away._**

Both girls had imagined themselves in their best formal kimonos as Naruto, with both his hands and wearing the most amazing of tuxedos, was standing at a door way. Naruto smiled before something had caught his attention, drawing him away from the girls with the doors shutting behind him. The door had sealed themselves tightly as they both sang the last verse…

**_The one that got away._**

_Naruto-kun…I miss you…_

_Naruto-kun…I'm sorry…_

***Beach City; Funland***

Naruto and Pearl were walking through the amusement park while avoiding some of the rides they weren't allowed on, due to Steven causing some trouble, and avoided the arcade, due to Pearl being confused about some of the games and Naruto mentioning how the arcade was evil. Naruto had bought some cotton candy for them to share as they walked around the place while Kurama wasn't too far behind to keep up the façade of him being a special agent instead of a demon fox. _Reminds of the times Minato and Kushina had gone of their dates,_ Kurama thought as he chuckled at those memories, _although I doubt Konoha could have such a place like Funland without it being a special festival or something._

"Where would like to go, Hime?" Naruto asked as he held the bag of cotton candy. "How about the Ferris Wheel?" Pearl offered as the two got in line for the ride. Once strapped into the cars, the giant wheel moved with Naruto, Pearl, and many others getting a sudden jolt from the start. The wheel continued to move as Naruto and Pearl soon got an amazing few of Beach City from the top of the Ferris Wheel, but the view was even more amazing as they looked at each other.

"Naruto," Pearl said as she stared into the blonde's ocean blue eyes, "I'm glad that I was able to meet someone like you." Naruto smiled as he cupped a hand on Pearl's cheek and said, "I'm glad to have you as well, my Beautiful Gem." The two then leaned into each other for a kiss as the ride slowly continued as down below, Mr. Smiley had a few tears in his eyes as his smile grew wider at the sight of the couple. "Young love," said the man as Naruto and Pearl ended the kiss when the ride was over, "Reminds me of my glory days when I was a wild teen." _Yep,_ Kurama thought as he watched the two walk on down through the amusement park, _those two really do make a nice couple._

***Beach City; Fish Stew Pizza***

Naruto and Pearl were sitting at one of the tables with the stuffed fox that the blonde had won for Pearl when Kiki walked up to them. "Hey Sunny, hey Pearl," Kiki said as she sat next to them, "what brings you two here?" Naruto sheepishly smiled as he said, "Well, Pearl-hime and I are kind of on a date; We were taking a slight break after spending some time at Funland." The young teen smiled as her sister arrived to take the couple's orders before she saw Agent Kurama just outside and knew that the special agent was keeping an eye on things.

Naruto's and Pearl's drinks and pizza soon arrived and the two began to eat when Pearl asked, "So, Naruto, why does Kiki and her family call you 'Sunny'?" The blonde chuckled a bit after getting a sip of his soda and said, "Well, mostly because of my hair, but she also said that it was because I have this bright aura about me that's somehow like being near the sun." _That's actually fitting for someone like you, Naruto,_ Pearl thought as she couldn't look away from the roguish charm on his face that the whisker marks had given him while she continued to dine with her boyfriend.

***Beach City; Crystal Temple***

The two were at the Pearl's favorite tree, or what was left of it, as Naruto saw the sight of the fallen tree. "I'm sorry about what happened to the tree, Hime," the blonde said as Pearl has told him many times about how this tree was precious to her. "It's alright, Naruto," said Pearl as she held Naruto's hand, "While that tree was my favorite, it could never replace the love that I have for you." The Gem then rested her head against Naruto's as she then said, "I thought I had almost lost you when you almost faded out of existence and when you were stabbed because of my carelessness, I couldn't forgive myself for letting that happen to you; you could have died because of my mistake."

The blonde saw the tears slowly forming on Pearl's face and knew how much hurt his girlfriend was in. Using a hand, Naruto lifted the Gem's face and said, "Pearl, you should stop blaming yourself about those two incidents as I'm still learning about being a Crystal Gem and even if I didn't retreat into the gems, I'm too damn stubborn to die as Kurama would have healed me. I'm only half-Gem but there is still so much that I want to know about myself; I never knew that I even had a clan until Kurama mentioned it before he restored my arms." Naruto then gave Pearl a comforting hug, showing the Gem how much he cared about her as Pearl then returned the hug with a silent thank you.

The two ended the hug as Naruto removed the necklace that Tsunade had given him and placed it around Pearl's neck. "Naruto…" the Gem said in shock as this necklace belonged to someone that was close to her boyfriend, "you're giving me the necklace you got from Tsunade…Why? Don't you miss her?" Naruto smiled as he said, "I do miss her as she was one of my precious people and I'll always think of Baa-chan and the others should I ever need to need to look back for a moment. I'm giving you her necklace as she had told me that she had given it to the ones she had seen as precious to her…and now I'm doing the same with you, Hime." The blonde smirked as he saw Pearl's spirit lifting as he then added, "And besides, it looks WAY better on you than me, my Beautiful Gem." Pearl blushed at the compliment as she examined the jewel and she could feel a small amount of energy from the center jewel. "Thank you," said Pearl as she gave Naruto a kiss on his whiskered cheek, "my Handsome Rogue."

The two looked off into the sky until Naruto remembered something. Reaching into his pocket, the blonde then pulled out a small scroll and said, "I remembered one of the gifts that Pervy Sage had given me." Pearl watched as Naruto unrolled the scroll some to reveal some writings before the blonde applied chakra to then reveal an artifact. "What's that?" Pearl asked as she examined the bangle that was bejeweled with ambers, "A bangle?" Naruto held the large ring and said, "I don't know as Pervy Sage mentioned in his letter that a woman from a village of kunoichi had given this to Pervy and told him to give it to any Uzumaki he should encounter. The woman said that it belonged to not only the founder of her village, but the Uzumaki ancestor as she only described my ancestor as 'one who bears solidified blood of the trees'. Got any ideas?" Thinking over what the artifact could be, Pearl said, "Have you tried applying chakra or magic to it? It must have something special about it to be a keepsake to an entire village and your clan."

Taking his girlfriend's advice, Naruto applied some chakra and while the ambers glowed, nothing had happened. _Nothing huh?_ Naruto thought before he summoned his claws, _Let's try this._ Infusing his claws with some magic he learned from Pearl and Garnet, Naruto saw the amber gems glowing brightly than before. The two then disappeared in a bright flash of light as the artifact had teleported them away.

***Ruins***

A bright light shone as Pearl and Naruto stumbled onto the cold stone underneath them. "Pearl-hime, are you alright?" Naruto asked as he was afraid of another incident with enchanted crystal. Pearl pushed herself up and examined herself as she said, "Yeah…I think I'm fine. What about you?" Naruto got to his feet and as he helped Pearl onto hers, he said, "Yeah, Kurama said that nothing's wrong at the moment. That bracelet must have taken us…somewhere."

After getting their bearings, the two examined the ruins around them as they walked carefully through the stone wreckage. Pearl looked at some of the downed columns and noticed the spirals adorned on them as well as on some of the other parts of the ruins. "Naruto," said the gem as she remembered the spiral that was on the jumpsuit Naruto used to wear, "I think…I think that this was once where the Uzumaki Clan resided?" Looking around, Naruto couldn't help but have a feeling of familiarity with the place and said, "I think you're right as it almost feels like I've been here before."

The two continued travelling through the ruins and noted how some of the artifact in the ruins were either broken or unrecognizable due to the age until Naruto suddenly froze. "Naruto?" Pearl asked as she saw the frozen look on the blonde's face, "Naruto, can you hear me?" The Gem was about take Naruto away and try to find a way out of here when Naruto suddenly began to move with his face in some sort of trance. Pearl followed the blonde very closely as she didn't want to get separated as she noted something different with him.

Naruto was now walking with poise and grace, like a noble, while his face was relaxed as if he was taking a stroll. Pearl even noted how Naruto seemed to smile at some parts of the ruins and listed them off as either homes, libraries, and even daycares. She then saw Naruto wave towards her, giving Pearl a look of the relaxed look on his golden eyes. _Wait, golden eyes?_ Pearl thought as she followed the blonde down a series of hallways, _Naruto's eyes are blue and red when he uses Kurama's power._

"We are almost there, child," said Naruto with a soft, elegant, and feminine voice, "and do not worry about your beloved as he and his companions are safe." Pearl looked at 'Naruto' and asked, "Who are you and how do you know about Kurama?" A chuckled escaped the blonde's throat as he said, "All in due time, child." Pearl continued to follow 'Naruto' until they reached a flight of stair that appeared to travel downwards into pitch black darkness.

'Naruto' reached for an unlit torch before the ambers glowed briefly as the torch was lit. The blonde then motioned Pearl to follow him down the stairs as he traveled through the darkness with the lit torch providing a small light. "In their language," 'Naruto' began as Pearl followed him, "my name would mean 'Sun Stone' and I have lived here before having to pass down my powers through what soon became the Uzumaki Clan. Although my powers only exist with your beloved now, those of the Uzumaki Clan can live longer thanks to the blood that ties them to me." Pearl looked at the possessed blonde and asked, "Are you…Naruto's ancestor?" The blonde gave Pearl a quick glance and a smile as he said, "Yes. I am your beloved's ancestor, Nisseki Uzumaki, or to my students…Amber."

"Amber?!" Pearl said in shock at being in the presence of one of the most powerful Crystal Gems in the universe, "I've only learned about you from history books and what others have said, but to actually meet you! I'm not sure if I should hug you or find it odd that you would possess Naruto." Amber smirked a bit as the two had reached the bottom of the stairs before she said, "I am flattered that you would know so much about me, but I'm pretty sure Rosie had exaggerated some of my exploits." Pearl blinked a few times before she said, "Rosie? Are you meaning Rose Quartz?"

"Of course," said Amber as she continued down the hall, "I was the one who taught her what she knows." Pearl felt her heart stop as she was talking to the very person, or their spirit anyway, that had taught ROSE QUARTZ of all people. Amber chuckled as she then said, "I remember that cute little pout of hers whenever she had trouble bringing out her weapon or when she ran out of her favorite snack." _Rose pouting?_ Pearl thought with a bit of surprise and disbelief, _I've never seen her pout; deep in thought, yes, but never pouting._

"We're here," said Amber as she and Pearl stopped before a door that had large stones on it. Pearl watched as Amber crossed Naruto's arms, focusing as the ambers began to glow brightly. The large stones on the door glowed as well, revealing themselves to be giant ambers before the door slowly opened to reveal a much larger room inside. "This is the room I had when I formed the Uzumaki Clan," said Amber as Pearl walked in and took in the sights, "Here I taught both Rose and the Uzumakis the secrets they had once knew as well as grounds for the Uzumaki Clan members to experiment with their seals."

"So, Amber," Pearl asked as she looked at the possessed blonde, "have you been waiting for an Uzumaki with your power to arrive here?" Amber shook Naruto's head and said, "Actually, I reside in the amber gems that your beloved now possesses thanks to Kurama. I have been waiting for a time that we could meet, so I have been waiting for him since then." Pearl thought for a moment before she asked, "So would you know anything about Kushina Uzumaki?" The possessed blonde once again shook his head and said, "No. There is something within the boy that is preventing me from meeting with her. Your beloved's power as a jinchuriki has mixed together with the powers he had inherited from me, making a few of his powers act a bit more differently than a full-blooded Gem's power. Why Kushina had appeared before Naruto after the regeneration is beyond my knowledge, but all I can say is to watch his powers carefully as Rose's son and successor may possess some of these powers as well even though he, himself, is not a jinchuriki."

Amber then pulled out a scroll and began sealing away everything that was in the room. "What are you doing?" Pearl asked as she caught a scroll that amber tossed towards her. "This room was only to be opened once after my 'passing' and will collapse once my energy leaves," said Amber as she began to seal more items into another scroll, "I am unsure if we are alone, but I cannot risk any of these secrets falling into the wrong hands…especially those of the Uchiha child."

"Even though I have met members of their clan that do not believe in their ancestor's teachings of hatred," Amber continued as she began to seal more items away, "the Uchiha are vile beings of hate and manipulation due to their hypnotic eyes. I taught both myself and Rose how to fight without our eyes as one look will result you in being caught in their dreadful power." _So that's why Rose prefers her eyes closed in photos,_ Pearl thought as Amber was almost done sealing everything away. "I fear what may happen should the secrets of not only the Uzumaki Clan," Amber said as she looked at a scroll she held in Naruto's hand, "but about the Crystal Gems were to fall into that boy's hands. There are some things that should have never been learned or set free."

Once everything was sealed away, the room was now barren save for a small teleportor in the center. "Once we leave," said Amber as she and Pearl stepped on the platform, "this room will collapse, ensuring that no one will ever learn of this place." Pearl looked at the possessed blonde and asked, "What about Naruto? What will happen to him afterwards?" Amber looked at the Gem and said, "I shall return to the gems where I will wait for the day that I will appear before Naruto. He will not remember of what had happened here, but know that all we have sealed belongs to him to use as he wishes." The platform glowed brightly as a flash of light shone briefly before vanishing with Pearl and Naruto's body, causing the room to collapse in on itself as Amber had said.

***Beach City; Crystal Temple***

Garnet was looking at the books she had placed on the coffee table as the books were written in Japanese and were written by the same author: Jiraiya. She had one book separate from the other three as it was far more different than the others. Garnet had found the books in the bed she had out for Naruto near a letter written in Japanese, and by judging the handwriting, Jiraiya wrote the letter too, and looked through them briefly. _How could a man who calls himself a Godfather to my son give him such…filth,_ the Gem thought as she looked at the orange, red, and green books as they were titled as 'Icha Icha'. While she did like the books to a small degree, she would NOT stand for her son to be in possession of such…books. Amethyst had looked at one of the Icha Icha books before setting the book down saying that she now has new materials to use when she messes with either Pearl or Naruto. _I'm glad that our gems cannot translate the written language,_ Garnet thought as she could only imagine what would happen if these were translated into English.

The teleporter soon glowed as a beam of light shone before revealing Pearl and Naruto holding a few scrolls. "Pearl, Naruto, what happened?" Garnet asked with hidden shock, "I thought you were still on your date?" Naruto blinked a few times as he said, "I'm pretty sure we're still on our date as the last thing I remember was walking through some ruins with Pearl-hime. Everything else is a blank." Pearl looked at Naruto and saw his ocean blue eyes, knowing that Amber had kept her word.

"I'll explain later," said Pearl as she set the scrolls on the coffee table before she noticed the books nearby, "Whose books are these?" Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion as he looked past his mother and paled when he saw a certain orange book in Pearl's hands. "Uh…you do NOT want to read that," Naruto said as he felt Garnet place a hand on his shoulder. "And why not," Garnet asked as her stern voice sent chills down Naruto's spine, "son?" _Could this get any worse?_ Naruto thought as inside his mind, Kurama was counting down with his fingers.

"NARUTO GEMM-UZUMAKI!"

_I'm so dead…_

**Now that Naruto and the Crystal Gems have some of the Uzumaki Clan secrets, what will happen? Will Naruto survive with the Gems, save for Steven, knowing about Jiraiya's...literature? Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne**


	13. Chapter 12

**This is Ryu Kotei saying Happy Mother's Day to all the great and loving mothers out there and I decided to post a special Mother's Day chapter in Fox of Amber as both Naruto and Steven (especially Steven) really need someone in their life for the holidays. This will be a hurt/comfort chapter as one can only imagine how some days would be like for Steven. Enjoy!**

**On a final note, I do not own Naruto, Steven Universe, or I Want A Mom That Will Last Forever.**

"Happy Mother's Day!" normal speech

_"Happy Mother's Day!"_ thought/mind speak

**"Happy Mother's Day!"** demon speech

Chapter 12: The Day of Mothers and the Bond of Brothers

***Beach City; Crystal Temple***

Naruto was sitting on the couch as he was reading _The Tale of the Utterly Gutless Shinobi_ and he actually liked the book as he could connect easily with the hero, Naruto. He never noticed a small shadow quietly chuckling to itself as it hid behind the kitchen counter.

_I ran through the forest with hopes of biding my time so that I could defeat this ninja; I had little time as I could tell he was getting closer by the minute and I needed to lose him. "Don't bother hiding, Naruto!" the mysterious ninja had said, "You don't stand a chance of escaping my sights! I'll kill you and get a profitable reward for your head!" I quickly ducked towards my right before ducking behind a tree as the ninja ran by me without a second thought. I felt my heart racing but I calmed myself down as to not draw attention with good memories of my past._

_Sensei, my teammates…those three children I had met in the rain. I hated to leave them like that, but there wasn't anything else I could teach them as they now continued their own individual paths if their lives. Sometimes…sometimes I wished that I could have brought them with me and show them more of the world outside of the rain and orphanage. "Don't think you can get away from me that easily, Naruto!" I hear the ninja yell through the forest, signaling to me that he was still on my tail._

"Oh Naruto…" said a voice, breaking the blonde's focus on the book, "You think you could help me with something?" Naruto looked up and froze with a blush as Pearl stood before him in nothing but a towel loosely wrapped around her slim frame with an alluring look on her face. "I was wondering if you would like to join me in a nice relaxing bath and help me wash my back," said Pearl as she turned around with the towel slightly falling to reveal more of her back, "I could even help you wash your back as well…" The purple Gem turned around before leaning towards Naruto's ear and whispered, "…and so much more." Naruto's head flew back from the nosebleed he had received while Pearl was on the floor laughing like mad.

"I can't believe how easy it was for you to fall for that!" said Pearl before revealing that she was actually Amethyst, "I should thank Jiraiya for giving me these ideas for messing with you and Pearl!" Naruto gave the purple Gem a sharp look as he said, "Why on EARTH would you do that?! You do know that Pearl will kill you if Steven were to see you doing such crap!" Ever since she read the Icha Icha series, Amethyst has used some of the material for pranking both Pearl and Naruto as she just loves messing with the two lovebirds. While Naruto has seen Garnet read those books, she was never as open as Kakashi was and never done anything like Amethyst has done. Pearl was obviously disgusted with the books as she ranted about the books having no form of plot, degrading women as objects, and adding that she wouldn't let Steven near those books even with a 39 and 1/2 foot pole. _I'm going to seriously harm Pervy Sage for this,_ Naruto thought as even Kurama was laughing at his plight.

The blonde stuck tissues in his nose as Garnet and Pearl arrived. "What happened?" Pearl asked when she saw the blood on Naruto's shirt. "Take a wild guess," Naruto said as he motioned towards the still laughing Amethyst. "Amethyst!" Pearl shouted as she blushed while remembering what the shorter Gem had done to her, "How could you do that to my boyfriend?! What if Steven or somebody else were to see you do that to Naruto?" With a chuckled, Amethyst countered, "Oh, I'd get away as they would see _you_ giving Naruto those ideas."

"Enough," said Garnet as a slight chilling aura breezed through her voice, making Amethyst stop cold, "I'll be gone on a mission for a few days, so you best behave…especially for Steven." Everyone there nodded before Naruto walked up and said, "Will you be alright by yourself? I can go with if you like?" Garnet ruffled Naruto's hair and said, "Don't worry, Naruto, Mama will be alright by herself. You be good and be there for Steven." The two gave each other a short, loving hug before Garnet got on the pedestal and teleported out of the temple, but not without giving the blonde a small kiss on his forehead. "Please be safe, Kaa-chan,"

"Well," said Amethyst as she got up from the floor, "better get some good laughs in before things get really moody around here." Confused, Naruto gave Pearl a questioned looked as the Gem said, "Oh, that's right I completely forgot about that day. I hope Steven will be alright this time." The blonde was about to ask what the two Gems were talking about until something told him to look at the calendar and as he looked at it, Naruto finally discovered what Pearl and Amethyst were talking about…Mother's Day.

Pearl and Amethyst looked at Naruto before realizing that it would be the blonde's first Mother's Day with an actual mother. The two remembered how Naruto told them that back in Konoha, his holidays, his birthday included, were very depressing for him as those days were days where the blonde felt truly alone. "D-Don't worry, Naruto," Pearl nervously said as she was slightly fearing another incident back when Steven threw those parties for the Gems, "I'm sure that Garnet will be back before Mother's Day even begins." Amethyst quickly rushed towards the blonde and said, "Yeah, your mom's the best there is when it comes to some of the missions; don't worry."

"I…I…" Naruto quietly said before realization donned on him, "I ONLY HAVE A FEW DAYS TO FIND KAA-CHAN A MOTHER'S DAY GIFT!" Both Gems face vaulted at the blonde's shock before seeing him run through the door in blinding speed. _He was worry about getting Garnet a gift?_ Pearl thought of her boyfriend's antics, _Whoever said Naruto is unpredictable had hit the nail right on the head._

***Konohagakure***

Kakashi was sitting on the windowsill of his home, reading his favorite book when he suddenly sneezed. "I wonder who could be talking about me?" the jonin thought out loud, "I hope Naruto's doing all right; I actually miss his hyperactive attitude."

"Hey Mommy," said a small girl from the street below, "Someone dropped their book."

_Oh crap…_

***Beach City; Suitcase Sam's***

Naruto was looking at some of the bags on the store's shelves as he tried to think of a good gift for Garnet. "I wonder if Kaa-san would like any of these," Naruto said to himself as he looked at the different purses and shoulder bags, "Some of these look realllly pricey and I don't have a lot on me." The blonde knew that he couldn't afford any of the nicer looking bags as there wasn't much money in the blonde's pockets from the small odd jobs he had done around the community. Naruto did find a nice red hand purse on the shelf, but it was too much for the blonde with that extra zero.

The blonde exited the store as he hung his head in defeat at not being able to get something for Garnet. "Hello, Naruto," said an elderly voice as Naruto looked to see an elderly woman walking towards him, "How are you today?" The blonde smiled at the elderly woman and said, "I'm alright, Obaa-Nana, just trying to find a nice gift for Kaa-chan." Nanefua smiled as she patted the blonde on the back as she said, "I'm sure that you'll find something nice for her, although I am a bit concerned for Steven."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked as he received a slight shocked look from Nanefua. "Oh that's right," the elderly woman said with slight sadness, "You've only been here for a couple of months. Please, follow me and I'll treat ya to some nice stew." Naruto easily hid the green look on his face as he remembered that last stew he had as Kurama said, **"Never…again…"**

***Beach City; Fish Stew Pizza***

Naruto was slowly eating the beef stew that Nanefua had made for him, thanking the heavens that it wasn't fish stew, as the elderly woman let out a sad sigh. "I guess I should start by saying that you and Steven have a bit of similarities when it comes to days like Mother's Day," Nanefua began as the blonde listened silently, "Although thankfully the boy didn't have it as bad as you might have had it." Naruto slightly nodded as he remembered how the villagers have told him how no woman would ever dare give birth to such a monster and other choice words that he'd rather not say in front of the elderly woman at her own place of business. "Like you," Nanefua continued as she laced her fingers together, "Steven never knew about his mother as she had died during the process of giving birth to him. I've never seen poor Gregory in such a sad state when he mentioned his wife being cremated sometime after Steven's birth." Naruto took another bite of the stew as he saw a small tear in the woman's eye as he thought, _Otouto…guess there are some things aside from being Gems we share in common._ Wiping away the tear, Nanefua said, "I remember the few times I would see the poor child so sad and lonely when he walks by. It just breaks my heart to see a young child who is so happy-go-lucky like his father look so sad." Naruto swallowed the food in his mouth before he asked, "You know where I might be able to find Steven, Obaa-Nana?" The elderly woman sadly shook her head and said, "I'm afraid no one knows where that boy goes off to, not even Amethyst and your sweetheart. Your mother and Greg might know where he might be if you're worried about him."

Naruto nodded and thanked Nanefua for the meal and telling him about Steven before rushing out the door. "Mom," Kofi asked as he appeared behind the counter, "was that Naruto just now?" Nanefua nodded as she said, "He's probably going to go look for Steven after I told him about how the boy spends his Mother's Day." Kofi hid a sigh as he remember those times as well as he thought, _Hopefully Naruto can help Steven with this pain._

***Beach City; "It's A Wash" Car Wash***

Greg was humming a small tune as he was hosing some of the soap away when Naruto appeared. "Hey, Naruto," said the man with a smile on his face, "need help finding a gift for Garnet?" The blonde shook his head and said, "I'd appreciate the offer, but right now I was wondering where Steven might be." Greg let out a sigh as he had a feeling this day may turn up and Naruto wouldn't have a clue about where Steven might be. "Look, Naruto," Greg sadly said as shut the hose off, "I know that you're worried about Steven and I'm glad that he looks up to you like a brother, but he needs his space at the moment." The man then reached in his back pocket and pulled out a small folded piece of paper before giving it to Naruto. "This is just a small map to where Steven and I usually go on days like Mother's Day," Greg said with a saddened look on his face, "I'm sure he'll be there on that day."

"Is there anywhere Steven might be now?" Naruto asked as Greg shook his head. "I'm afraid not," the man said sadly, "Steven can surprisingly be private on days like this." Naruto sadly nodded before thanking the man and leaving, not seeing Greg walk toward the back of his van. Opening the doors gently, Greg looked on the mattress to see the sleeping form of his son with tear stains on his face. _I hope this year will turn out better this time, son,_ Greg thought to himself as he sat next to Steven and began to stroke the curly black locks on his son's head, _for both you and Naruto._

***Beach City; Crystal Temple***

The next day found Naruto walking around the beach in hopes of finding Steven, but he hasn't had much luck today. "Dammit, Otouto," Naruto silently cursed to himself, "Where are you?" The blonde had actually looked everywhere for Steven; Naruto checked the pier, Greg's car wash, Steven's favorite restaurants, and even risking a trip to the arcade, but he couldn't find the boy anywhere even after triple checking through his Shadow Clones. Naruto knew things would be different for himself as he finally has a mother to celebrate Mother's Day with, but he never imagined things would be this drastic.

Sighing in defeat, Naruto walked towards the temple as he had a feeling that he would have better luck in finding Steven tomorrow. **"Don't worry Kit,"** Kurama said as he knew how serious this was, **"You have that map that Greg had given you, so just wait until tomorrow and follow the map."** _But what if Kaa-chan returns,_ Naruto thought as he was able to find a nice gift for Garnet and still have enough for the two cakes he bought,_ I want to surprise her._ **"Listen,"** the demon fox continued, **"right now, Steven is acting like you were back in the village when he doesn't need to. I'm sure that you can find a way to help him, you always do. Just give him his space for the moment."** Letting out a sigh, Naruto reluctantly decided to head back in the temple so that he could come up with a plan for tomorrow when Garnet would come back.

Inside, Naruto was looking over a small list after he checked on the cake in the fridge. He had place a note for others to not eat the cake, but he did have a feeling that Amethyst would eat the cake anyway. _Good thing I was able to get another cake,_ Naruto thought as he remembered the smaller cake he hid in the freezer under Steven's Cookie Cats.

Naruto placed the list on the coffee table as his mind went back to Steven and what Nanefua had told him. If anything, Naruto was sort of jealous of Steven that he had people to look after him as Naruto himself barely had anyone back in the village before graduating the academy. He was always alone on Mother's Day, felt disappointed in himself on Father's Day, and lived in fear on his birthday. _And here I am worried about how my first actual Mother's Day will be like,_ Naruto thought with a pained scowl on his face, _I feel like a complete ass._

Naruto heard the door to the deeper parts of the temple open to reveal Pearl walking out and look at the blonde. "How was your day today?" Pearl asked as Naruto gave her a small, sad smile. "I was able to get Kaa-chan a present and some cake for her," Naruto began before his smile faded, "but I'm kind of worried about Steven. I mean, here I am trying to celebrate my first Mother's Day with an actual mother and Otouto is out there without one of his own. I feel like a big jerk." Pearl placed a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder and said, "I know how you feel as we really don't know what to do as we never had celebrated days like Mother's Day." Pearl saw the small wrapped box next to Naruto and had a feeling that the present was for Garnet before she said, "Maybe you can invite Steven to spend time with you and Garnet."

_Would it really be THAT simple?_ Naruto mentally asked himself as he thought on the idea, _Could I really invite Steven to spend time with me and Kaa-chan?_ Pearl saw the lamenting look on the blonde's face and said, "I know you'll do what's best for Steven, Naruto. You're just the kind of person who deeply cares about others and wouldn't like them be hurt like you were." Naruto blushed as his girlfriend wrapped him in a hug before the two kissed each other. After the kiss, Pearl looked at Naruto and asked, "What does 'otouto' mean?"

The blonde smiled gently as he said, "Little brother…"

***Beach City; Cave***

Mother's Day had arrived and Naruto was walking on the beach to a small secluded cave as he was following the map. Garnet hadn't arrived yet, so that bought Naruto some time to find Steven by following the small map Greg had given to him. "This is the cave," said Naruto as he took another look at the small map that had a small cave that was labeled 'Rose's Grotto' that had small pink hearts on it, "Hopefully Steven's in here somewhere."

Naruto walked inside as he used his gems to create a small light to see through the dark, damp cave. He wanted to call out to Steven, but he was afraid of startling him as Naruto had gone through this back in Konoha. The blonde continued to walk deeper and deeper until he heard something echo through the cave. It was faint, but he could hear a voice from inside the deeper parts of the cave. _Is that singing?_ Naruto thought as he carefully navigated over the damp rocks and gravel.

Naruto continued to explore deeper until he discovered and amazing sight: a huge lake that was surrounded in pink crystals with a statue of a woman standing erect near the lake. Taking a closer look, Naruto saw that the statue was in the form of Rose Quartz and right next to the statue was little Steven Universe with a sad look on his face. Hiding in the shadows, Naruto carefully edged along the wall as he listened to Steven sing towards the statue…

**_I want a mom that will last forever._**

**_I want a mom to make it all better._**

**_I want a mom that will last forever._**

**_I want a mom who will love me whatever._**

**_I want a mom that will take my hand,_**

**_And make me feel like a holiday._**

**_A mom that will tuck me in at night,_**

**_And chase the monsters away._**

**_I want a mom who will read me stories,_**

**_And sing a lullaby._**

**_And if I had a bad dream,_**

**_To hold me when I cry._**

**_Oh, I want a mom that will last forever._**

**_I want a mom to make it all better._**

**_I want a mom that will last forever._**

**_I want a mom that will love me whatever,_**

**_Forever._**

_Otouto…_Naruto thought as he could see the tears in Steven's face as the song had stabbed his heart with memories of his own. The blonde stayed quiet so that Steven could continue his song…

**_When she says to me,_**

**_She will always be there,_**

**_To watch and protect me,_**

**_I don't have to be scared._**

**_Oh and when she says to me,_**

**_I will always love you._**

**_I won't need to worry,_**

**_'_****_Cause I know that it's true._**

***Konohagakure***

Tsunade was sitting in her office and was looking out the window towards the village. She pulled out a small photo she got from Tanzaku Town when Naruto and Jiraiya were sent to get her. Naruto had a great big grin on his face as he stood between Jiraiya and Tsunade with Shizune behind him. "I miss you so much gaki," Tsunade said as she placed the photo on the desk and pulled out a small bottle of sake. "I know it's Mother's Day," the woman said as she raised the bottle in the air for a toast, "but this is for you...my little grandson." Shizune walked by the door to the office and saw her master taking a swig of sake and decided for once to not say anything at the moment as Tsunaded really needed this right now as she too was missing the little ball of sunshine.

***Beach City; Rose's Grotto***

Naruto felt more tears sneaking up on him as he had a feeling that someone was badly missing him. _Baa-chan,_ Naruto thought to himself as Tsunade entered his mind, _I wish you were here._ The blonde remained quiet as Steven continued to sing...

**_I want a mom when I get lonely,_**

**_Who will take time to play._**

**_A mom who can be a friend,_**

**_And a rainbow when it's grey._**

**_I want a mom to read me stories,_**

**_And sing a lullaby._**

**_And if I have a bad dream,_**

**_To hold me when I cry._**

**_Oh, I want a mom that will last forever._**

**_I want a mom to make it all better._**

**_I want a mom that will last forever._**

**_I want a mom that will love me whatever,_**

**_Forever._**

**_I want a mom that will love me forever._**

**_I want a mom to make it all better._**

**_I want a mom that will last forever._**

**_I want a mom that will love me whatever,_**

**_Forever._**

**_I want a mom._**

**_I want a mom._**

**_I want a mom that'll last forever._**

**_I want a mom that'll last forever._**

**_I want a mom._**

**_I want a mom._**

**_I want a mom that'll last forever._**

**_I want a mom._**

**_I want a mom that'll last forever._**

**_I want a mom that'll last forever._**

Steven fell to his knees in defeat as he whispered, "I want a mom…" Naruto carefully walked out of the shadows, tears rolling down his face as the echoes in the grotto kept stabbing into his heart. The blonde was able to get close to Steven as the boy silently sobbed. Naruto kneeled down next to Steven and gave the boy a small hug while the boy returned the hug and cried into Naruto's shirt. _How much pain have you held back,_ Naruto thought as he gently rubbed Steven's back, _Otouto._

The two remained hugging before Steven let go and asked, "How did you find me? Only Dad and Garnet know about this place." Naruto looked at Steven with tear stained eyes and said, "Your father gave me a small map when he saw how worried I was." The young boy rubbed the tears out of his eyes and off of his face before he said, "I'm sorry if I had you worried, Naruto, it's just…" Naruto and Steven looked at the statue as the boy then said, "I just wish I could know more about her or even meet her."

Naruto saw the saddened look on Steven's face before he said, "Well, Little Brother, I know what it feels like…to be alone on days like this." Steven looked up and saw the tears forming in the blonde's eyes as Naruto continued, "I was so lonely that isolation on the holidays had become sort of my own ritual for my own protection. Back then…in the village…I couldn't let them see me cry or see my pain as they would use it to their advantage to deal more hurt to me, but here…" Tears were now falling freely from Naruto's face as the blonde couldn't stop them…nor did he want to. "I'm finally free…" Naruto said as he sobbed with his voice cracking, "I'm *sob* I'm finally free to *sob* to let out all of my pain after so many years!" Naruto's painful sobs echoed through the cave as the blonde then fell to his knees and began to punch the stone floor, ignoring the throbbing pain and small amount of blood from his knuckles. Steven watched has his brother figure continued to punch the ground before stopping, allowing the younger boy to wrap the blonde into a hug. "That felt…*sniff* so good," Naruto said as he dried his eyes before looking at Steven. "I know," said Steven with a smile, "Big Bro."

Both of them got to their feet and stared at the statue. "Rose-san," said Naruto with pride in his voice as he looked at the statue's face, "I am very glad that I met someone like your son to have as a brother and finally found someone that I could call a mother as well as finding a place where I feel welcomed. I would also like to tell you that I'm very proud to have Steven here as my otouto…my little brother." The two of them smiled with great pride in their hearts as they left, but little did they know was that the two boys were being watched by the spirits of Kushina and Rose Quartz. "Our boys seemed to have developed a loving bond with one another," said Rose with a harmonic tone in her voice. "Of course, Rose," said Kushina with a smile on her face, "Those two will be brothers, even through a thousand lifetimes." The two spirits faded away back to their proper places…waiting for the time to reveal themselves to their sons.

***Beach City; Crystal Temple***

Garnet had just arrived when Naruto and Steven walked through the door. "Hey Kaa-san," Naruto sad as he rushed towards the Gem and gave her a hug, "Happy Mother's Day!" Garnet smiled as she hugged her son, glad that he was doing alright. "Thank you, Naruto," said Garnet before she saw Steven, "How are you doing today, Steven?" Steven walked up and wrapped his arms around Garnet and said, "I'm doing alright thanks to my big brother, Naruto." Garnet smiled at Steven's new attitude as she couldn't help but be excited for Mother's Day for once as the two boys before her where now beginning to heal.

**Hope you enjoyed this Mother's Day special of Fox of Amber! If you're wondering about how Nanefua mentioned Rose's 'death,' I sort of thought that everyone not directly related to Rose or the other Gems would have been told that Rose Quartz was cremated to avoid some trouble. Don't forget to rate and review!**

**Ja ne!**


End file.
